Pedicel (botany)

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The inflorescence of Delphinium nuttallianum. Each flower is held on a pedicel from one to several centimeters long. Delphinium nuttallianum 15498.JPG
The inflorescence of Delphinium nuttallianum . Each flower is held on a pedicel from one to several centimeters long.

In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as pedicellate.

Contents

Description

Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. [1] In the absence of a pedicel, the flowers are described as sessile. Pedicel is also applied to the stem of the infructescence. The word "pedicel" is derived from the Latin pediculus, meaning "little foot". [2] The stem or branch from the main stem of the inflorescence that holds a group of pedicels is called a peduncle. [3] A pedicel may be associated with a bract or bracts. [4]

In cultivation

In Halloween types of pumpkin or squash plants, the shape of the pedicel has received particular attention because plant breeders are trying to optimize the size and shape of the pedicel for the best "lid" for a "jack-o'-lantern". [5]

Diagram of flower parts Mature flower diagram.svg
Diagram of flower parts

See also

Related Research Articles

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An inflorescence, in a flowering plant, is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a main axis (peduncle) and by the timing of its flowering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raceme</span> Unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing pedicellate flowers along its axis

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bract</span> Modified or specialized leaf

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References

  1. Hickey, M.; King, C. (2001). The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms. Cambridge University Press.
  2. Walter William Skeat (1898). An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language (3 ed.). Clarendon Press. p.  430. ISBN   978-0-19-863104-0.
  3. Chris Bird, ed. (2014). The Fundamentals of Horticulture: Theory and Practice. Cambridge University Press. p. 136. ISBN   9781107782549.
  4. EB 2019.
  5. Breeding a better pumpkin - Technology & science - Science | NBC News

Bibliography