What does pedicel mean?
A pedicel is the slender stalk that attaches an individual flower or a part of a flower to a plant's stem or branch. The term is especially useful when discussing how flowers are arranged, including the length, thickness, position, and attachment of their supporting stalks. In a branched inflorescence, each small flower may have its own pedicel, while the larger structure as a whole is supported by a peduncle. Outside botany, the word can also describe a small stalklike process connecting or supporting part of an animal, particularly in a colonial organism. Pedicel is not normally used in general conversation for an ordinary flower stem; it names a more specific structural feature. Knowing the word allows a reader or writer to distinguish the support of one flower from the support of a whole cluster, making it valuable in botanical description and identification.
nounA slender stalk supporting an individual flower or a part of a flower, typically arising from a larger stem or branch. In zoology, the term can also denote a small stalklike process supporting or connecting part of an animal.
- In botany, a slender stalk that supports an individual flower or part of a flower.
- In zoology, a small stalklike process that supports or connects part of an animal.
"Each blossom hangs from a slender pedicel along the branched stem."
"Each blossom hangs from a slender pedicel along the branched stem."
"The small zooids are connected to the colony by short, flexible pedicels."
The regular plural is pedicels; the possessive singular is pedicel's.
"Several long pedicels hold the flowers above the surrounding leaves."
A pedicel is a botanical “little foot”: its name derives from a Latin diminutive meaning a small foot.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pedicel come from?
The word was borrowed from Latin pedicellus, a diminutive of pēs, meaning “foot.” Its diminutive form reflects the small size of the supporting stalk. Related English forms include pedicle, pedicellate, and pedicelliform, all developed from the same Latin base.
Related word forms
How pedicel is actually used
This is primarily a specialized botanical and zoological term rather than an everyday word. Botanists distinguish it from the peduncle, which supports an entire flower cluster; individual flowers within that cluster may have pedicels.
Easily confused with pedicel
Pedicle is a separate word used especially in anatomy for a stalklike attachment, whereas pedicel is the standard botanical term for the stalk supporting an individual flower.