A flocculent spiral galaxy is a type of spiral galaxy. Unlike the well-defined spiral architecture of a grand design spiral galaxy, flocculent (meaning "flaky") galaxies are patchy, with discontinuous spiral arms.[1][2] Self-propagating star formation is the apparent explanation for the structure of flocculent spirals.[3] Approximately 30% of spirals are flocculent, 10% are grand design, and the rest are referred to as "multi-armed".[4] The multiple-arm type is sometimes grouped into the flocculent category.[5]

The prototypical flocculent spiral is NGC 2841.[6]
| Example | Class | Image | Constellation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 1325 | SBbc | Eridanus | ||
| NGC 1353 | SBb | Eridanus | ||
| NGC 2775 | SA(r)ab | Cancer | [7] | |
| NGC 2841 | SA(r)b | Ursa Major | [6] | |
| NGC 3521 | SAB(rs)bc | Leo | [6] | |
| NGC 4298 | SA(rs)c | Coma Berenices | ||
| NGC 4414 | SA(rs)c | Coma Berenices | [8] | |
| NGC 7793 | SA(s)d | Sculptor | [6] | |
| Sunflower Galaxy (Messier 63) |
SAB(rs)cd | Canes Venatici | [9] | |
Galaxies | |
|---|---|
| Morphology |
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| Structure |
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| Active nuclei |
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| Energetic galaxies |
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| Low activity |
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| Interaction |
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| Lists |
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| See also |
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