Acyclic Flower

a flower, all of whose parts (perianth, stamens, and pistils) are arranged in a spiral. Acyclic flowers are characteristic of primitive angiosperms (many genera of the Magnoliaceae family, the Calycanthaceae family, and certain genera of the Ranunculaceae family, such as pheasant’s-eyes, hellebores, and globeflowers). Hemicyclic and cyclic flowers, which are characteristic of most flowering plants, developed from acyclic flowers as a result of the shortening (compression) of the spiral.