Pedicel (botany)
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In botany, a pedicel is a stalk that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as pedicellate. The stalk at the base of a leaf is called a petiole.
Description
Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. 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". The stem or branch from the main stem of the inflorescence that holds a group of pedicels is called a peduncle. A pedicel may be associated with a bract or bracts. In fruit-bearing plants such as pears (Pyrus species), differences in pedicel length, diameter, and tissue composition influence fruit size, firmness, and sugar content.
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".
Gallery
- Long pedicels of clasping milkweed with a single peduncle
- Cherry pedicels in flower and fruit (drawing)
- Cherry pedicels in flower (photo)
- Pumpkin pedicel