– Description:
– Pedicel connects a single flower to its inflorescence.
– Flowers without a pedicel are sessile.
– Pedicel can also refer to the stem of the infructescence.
– The term “pedicel” originates from the Latin word “pediculus,” meaning little foot.
– The stem holding a group of pedicels in an inflorescence is called a peduncle.
– In cultivation:
– Pumpkin and squash plants in Halloween types have pedicels optimized for jack-o-lantern lids.
– Plant breeders pay attention to the size and shape of the pedicel for this purpose.
– Gallery:
– Clasping milkweed with long pedicels and a single peduncle.
– Cherry pedicels in flower and fruit.
– Pumpkin pedicel images.
– See also:
– Related terms: Sessile and Scape.
– References:
– M. Hickey and C. King’s “The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms.”
– W. W. Skeat’s “An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language.”
– C. Bird’s “The Fundamentals of Horticulture: Theory and Practice.”
– Source: Encyclopædia Britannica on Pedicel.
– Article on breeding better pumpkins.
– Bibliography:
– Encyclopædia Britannica’s entry on Pedicel.
– Article stub on plant morphology.
– Source URL for further reading.
In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as pedicellate.
