peduncle

Peduncle is a term used in biology to describe a stalk-like structure that supports and connects a plant or animal structure to the body of the organism. The word derives from Latin pedunculus, meaning “little foot.”

In botany, the peduncle is the main stalk of an inflorescence, attaching it to the branch or stem. It may bear pedicels, the stalks of individual flowers. The length, orientation, and rigidity of the peduncle influence how the inflorescence presents itself and develops. The term is also used for the stalk that bears a fruit, connecting it to the plant; in that use, the stalk itself is the peduncle, while the stalk of an individual fruit is called the pedicel.

In neuroanatomy, a peduncle is a bundle of nerve fibers that connects brain regions. The cerebral peduncles are paired stalk-like structures on the ventral midbrain that convey motor information from the cerebrum to the brainstem and spinal cord. The brainstem is also linked to the cerebellum by cerebellar peduncles, consisting of the superior, middle, and inferior peduncles. Peduncles appear in other anatomical contexts as well, where a stalk-like connection links a body part to a larger structure.

See also: pedicel; cerebral peduncle.