if you look at these new pix, you can see that the new set of leaves is perpendicular to the last, as that set is perpendicular to the cotyledons. this is the "alternating" part of the whorled phytolaxy.

if it was just a whorled phytolaxy, the leaves would be parallel, with each other, much like a fern...

alternating doesn't mean the same thing in every phrase it's used in...
Scarlet Sky Reviewed by Scarlet Sky on . Sky's Story of the Alternating Whorled Phytolaxy hello all. i decided to log a three leafed mutant here for all to see. in the years that i've grown, i've found that these don't come around too often, so i'd like to keep tabs on this little guy. hope you all enjoy watching it grow up and out :) it all started on the 23 of jan. three beans went onto a wet towel, and were placed in a sandwich baggie for a day. i set them in the veg box to stay "toasty", and checked 9 hours later; all had popped, two with tails. i got these beans as a Rating: 5