My theory: it's a cartoonesque nod to mj
Googled, "8 leaved plant" found this pic:
Verbiage said, " (b) palmately compound leaf"
Wiki'd it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf
Verbiage said, "Palmately compound leaves have the leaflets radiating from the end of the petiole, like fingers off the palm of a hand, e.g. Cannabis (hemp) and Aesculus (buckeyes)."