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In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single
flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...
to the
inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are forme ...
. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''.


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 In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...
or bracts.


In cultivation

In Halloween types of
pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...
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 A jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern) is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin or a root vegetable such as a rutabaga or turnip. Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday. Its name comes from the reported phen ...
".Breeding a better pumpkin - Technology & science - Science , NBC News
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Gallery

File:Asclepias amplexicaulis.jpg, Long pedicels of
clasping milkweed ''Asclepias amplexicaulis'', the blunt-leaved milkweed, clasping milkweed, or sand milkweed, is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of f ...
with a single peduncle File:314 Prunus avium.jpg,
Cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The n ...
pedicels in flower and fruit File:Cucurbita pedicel of mature fruit farmersmarket09093.jpg, Pumpkin pedicel File:Leonurus cardiaca 0003.JPG, Sessile flowers (lacking pedicels) of
common motherwort ''Leonurus cardiaca'', known as motherwort, is an herbaceous perennial plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Other common names include throw-wort, lion's ear, and lion's tail. Lion's tail is also a common name for ''Leonotis leonurus'', and lion' ...


See also

* Sessile * Scape


References


Bibliography

* Plant morphology + {{botany-stub