Raceme

Raceme

A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears "pedicellate" flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, "axis" means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a "raceme", the oldest flowers are borne towards the base and new flowers are produced as the shoot grows. A plant that flowers on a showy raceme may telegraph the fact in its scientific name, e.g. "Cimicifuga racemosa".

A spike is a type of "raceme" in which individual flowers are "sessile" (that is, lack pedicels). The term spikelet can refer to a small "spike", although it is primarily used to refer to the ultimate flower cluster unit in the grasses (Family Poaceae), in which case the stalk supporting the cluster becomes the "pedicel". A spikelet comprises one or more florets enclosed by two glumes (bracts), and is not a raceme.

A spadix is a form of spike in which the florets are densely crowded along the axis.


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  • Raceme — Ra*ceme (r[.a]*s[=e]m ; 277), n. [L. racemus a bunch of berries, a cluster of grapes. See {Raisin}.] (Bot.) A flower cluster with an elongated axis and many one flowered lateral pedicels, as in the currant and chokecherry. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • raceme — (n.) 1785, from L. racemus a cluster of grapes (see RAISIN (Cf. raisin)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • raceme — ► NOUN ▪ a flower cluster with the separate flowers attached by short stalks along a central stem, the lower flowers developing first. Compare with CYME(Cf. ↑cyme). ORIGIN Latin racemus bunch of grapes …   English terms dictionary

  • raceme — [rā sēm′, rəsēm′] n. [L racemus, cluster of grapes] an unbranched flower cluster, consisting of a single central stem or rachis, along which individual flowers grow on small stalks at intervals, blooming from the base toward the apex, as in the… …   English World dictionary

  • raceme — /rəˈsim / (say ruh seem), /ˈreɪsim / (say rayseem) noun 1. a simple indeterminate inflorescence in which the flowers are borne on short pedicels lying along a common axis, as in the lily of the valley. 2. a compound inflorescence in which the… …  

  • Racème — Grappe  Pour la signification informatique du mot grappe , voir Grappe (informatique).  Pour la signification textile du mot grappe , voir Grappe (textile) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • raceme — racemed, adj. /ray seem , reuh /, n. Bot. 1. a simple indeterminate inflorescence in which the flowers are borne on short pedicels lying along a common axis, as in the lily of the valley. See illus. under inflorescence. 2. a compound… …   Universalium

  • raceme —   n. kind of inflorescence with flowers borne on footstalks up a central stem, as in lily of valley.    ♦ racemiferous, a. bearing racemes.    ♦ racemiform, a. like raceme.    ♦ racemose,    ♦ racemous, a …   Dictionary of difficult words

  • raceme — kekė statusas T sritis augalininkystė apibrėžtis Žiedynas su ilga ašimi ir kotuotais žiedais; vaisynas, išaugęs iš tokio žiedyno. atitikmenys: angl. raceme rus. кисть …   Žemės ūkio augalų selekcijos ir sėklininkystės terminų žodynas

  • raceme — noun Etymology: Latin racemus bunch of grapes; probably akin to Greek rhag , rhax grape Date: 1785 a simple inflorescence (as in the lily of the valley) in which the flowers are borne on short stalks of about equal length at equal distances along …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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