Pedicel (botany)

In botany, a pedicel attaches a single flower to a stalk of its inflorescence, or a fruit to its stalk.^[1] Flowers attached to 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.^[2] 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" comes from pedicellus in Latin which is derived from pediculus meaning "little foot".^[3] The stem or branch from the main stem of the inflorescence that holds a group of pedicels is called a peduncle.^[4] A pedicel may be associated with a bract or bracts.^[5] In fruit-bearing plants such as pears (Pyrus species), differences in pedicel length, diameter, and tissue composition influence fruit size, firmness, and sugar content.^[6]

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".^[7]

Gallery

Long pedicels of clasping milkweed with a single peduncle
Cherry pedicels in flower and fruit (drawing)
Cherry pedicels in flower (photo)
Pumpkin pedicel

References

↑ Gough, Robert Edward (2008). "pedicle". An Encyclopedia of Small Fruit. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: CRC Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-56022-938-4.
↑ Hickey, M.; King, C. (2001). The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms. Cambridge University Press.
↑ Eckel, P. M. (2010). "pedicle". A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin. Missouri Botanical Garden.
↑ Chris Bird, ed. (2014). The Fundamentals of Horticulture: Theory and Practice. Cambridge University Press. p. 136. ISBN 9781107782549.
↑ EB 2019.
↑ Cui, Z., Sun, H., Lu, Y., Ren, L., Xu, X., Li, D., & Ma, C. (2022). Variations in pedicel structural properties among four pear species (Pyrus): Insights into the relationship between the fruit characteristics and the pedicel structure. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 815283. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.815283
↑ "Striving to breed a better pumpkin". NBC News. October 31, 2006.

Bibliography

Pedicel: Plant part. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 30 June 2019.

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[1] Gough, Robert Edward (2008). "pedicle". An Encyclopedia of Small Fruit. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: CRC Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-56022-938-4.

[2] Hickey, M.; King, C. (2001). The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms. Cambridge University Press.

[3] Eckel, P. M. (2010). "pedicle". A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin. Missouri Botanical Garden.

[4] Chris Bird, ed. (2014). The Fundamentals of Horticulture: Theory and Practice. Cambridge University Press. p. 136. ISBN 9781107782549.

[FOOTNOTEEB2019-5] EB 2019.

[6] Cui, Z., Sun, H., Lu, Y., Ren, L., Xu, X., Li, D., & Ma, C. (2022). Variations in pedicel structural properties among four pear species (Pyrus): Insights into the relationship between the fruit characteristics and the pedicel structure. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 815283. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.815283

[7] "Striving to breed a better pumpkin". NBC News. October 31, 2006.

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