pédiculées

Pédiculées is a botanical adjective used to describe plant organs, most commonly flowers or fruits, that are borne on a pedicel, a slender stalk connecting the organ to the main axis of the inflorescence or branch. The term is used to distinguish such organs from those that are sessile, meaning they attach directly to the axis without a stalk.

A pedicel varies in length, thickness, and articulation. Some pedicels are long and conspicuous, while others are short or nearly indistinguishable. When a flower or fruit sits on a pedicel, it is described as pedicellate; when it lacks one, it is described as sessile. The presence or absence of a pedicel, as well as its morphology, can be a diagnostic character in plant identification and description.

Pedicels play a functional role in inflorescence architecture, helping to position flowers for pollination and to space them along the axis. After fertilization, a pedicel may persist to support the developing fruit or may wither away; in some taxa, the pedicel becomes part of the fruit stalk.

In taxonomic practice, the state of pedicellation (pedicellate vs. sessile) and the features of the pedicel can contribute to classification and keys. The term derives from Latin pediculus, meaning a small stalk, and is used in various branches of botany to describe the relationship between an organ and the plant axis.