Why do some myrtle branches have their three leaves at the same point on the stem and some are in 2, 1 patterns? Is there anyway to grow them in a way that the branches will be uniform?
Two (i.e., opposite pairs) is the normal, as shown by the pics here: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Myrtus_communis Mutations to whorls of three are however fairly frequent in many plants with opposite leaves. In some plants at least, whorls of two and three can be found on the same plant, with threes more often produced on vigorous shoots and twos on less vigorous shoots. In others it may apply uniformly to all the foliage on an individual plant and have a genetic basis that can't be controlled.
