Polyploid?..or just "Whorled Phyllotaxi"??
Poly' or tri-ploid plants are an expression of extra chromosomes. I don't think whorled phyl' are 'necessarily' polyploid.
Polyploidy has not been shown to occur naturally (according to Clarke, most commonly accomplished with colchicine), and refers to extra chromosomes, not extra leaves.
Whorled phyllotaxy is simply three leaves/branches per node as opposed to two.
Clarke has this to say about it:
"Whorled phyllotaxy is associated with subsequent anomalies in the growth cycle (i.e., multiple leaflets and flattened or clubbed stems). Also, most whorled plants are staminate and whorled phyllotaxy may be sex-linked."
It's all discussed in Chapter 3
Whorled phyl;'
NDIC Comment: Traditionally, cannabis plants are thought of as having five leaves; however, the number of leaves on a cannabis plant can vary (although it usually has an odd number of leaves such as three or seven). This seizure follows a widely publicized April 2004 seizure of four immature cannabis plants with three fingered leaves from an indoor grow in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The plants seized in Thunder Bay were atypical in appearance, however, having twig like stalks and broad, rounded leaves, which led to reports of the discovery of a new strain of cannabis. What may be more likely in both of these seizures is that it is an unintentional occurrence of whorled phyllotaxy. In botany, leaf phyllotaxy describes how leaves are arranged on a stem and in relation to one another. Whorled phyllotaxy means three or more leaves at one node of a stem. Information gained through online canvassing reveals that this may be a somewhat common occurrence when growing cannabis. The limited information also suggests that whorled phyllotaxy occurred in plants cultivated from clones of normal plants, and many incidents involved indica varieties, which typically have broader leaves than sativa varieties. Whether whorled phyllotaxy has an effect on plant yield or potency is uncertain. Some growers hopefully suggest that the THC levels of such plants will be higher, while others report that this leaf arrangement previously manifested in plants found to be inferior or male (no buds).
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-2165.html