cincinnus

Cincinnus is a botanical term describing a form of inflorescence. It refers to a monochasial cyme in which a single flowering stalk produces a flower at the apex, and each subsequent flower forms laterally on alternating sides of the axis. This pattern creates a short, curved or coiled arrangement that can resemble a small spiral or ringlet.

In botanical usage, the cincinnus is a historic description linked to Linnaean terminology. In modern morphology it is usually treated as a subset of monochasial cymes and is closely related to, though distinct from, the scorpioid cyme. A scorpioid cyme is a coiled inflorescence that resembles a scorpion’s tail, while the term cincinnus emphasizes the alternating, one-sided branching pattern that produces the curled appearance. Because terminology has varied among authors, some texts use cincinnus and scorpioid cyme somewhat interchangeably, whereas others reserve cincinnus for a specific alternation pattern.

Occurrence and significance are primarily descriptive. Cincinnus inflorescences appear in various dicot families and are discussed in floras and botanical treatises as part of inflorescence morphology rather than as a universal structural category. The term helps convey the characteristic curved architecture of the flower cluster, contributing to comparative descriptions of plant form.

Etymology: from Latin cincinnus, meaning a ringlet or curl.