adunate

Adunate is a botanical term used as an adjective to describe a plant organ whose base is fused to or united with an adjacent structure at the base, typically with the stem or another organ. The word derives from Latin adunatus, meaning joined at the base. In formal descriptions, adunate indicates a specific mode of attachment that contrasts with other forms of contact between organs.

In practical use, adunate commonly appears in the description of leaves, petals, or floral structures where the base of the organ is closely connected to the stem or to another organ at the base, rather than having a distinct stalk or free base. The term helps distinguish this basal fusion from other attachment patterns such as sessile (directly attached without a stalk) or adnate (attached along surfaces, often laterally rather than at the base).

Adunate is primarily a technical term found in taxonomic keys, floras, and morphological descriptions. It provides a concise way to convey a specific pattern of attachment that can aid in plant identification and comparative anatomy. The concept is related to, but distinct from, similar terms such as adnate, connate, and sessile, which describe different relationships between plant parts.

See also: Adnate, Sessile, Connate, Leaf base, Morphology.