In botany, a pedicel attaches a single flower to a stalk of its inflorescence, or a fruit to its stalk. Flowers attached to such inflorescences are described as pedicellate.
Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absence of a pedicel, the flowers are described as sessile. Pedicel is also applied to the stem of the infructescence. The word "pedicel" comes from pedicellus in Latin which is derived from pediculus meaning "little foot". The stem or branch from the main stem of the inflorescence that holds a group of pedicels is called a peduncle. A pedicel may be associated with a bract or bracts. In fruit-bearing plants such as pears (Pyrus species), differences in pedicel length, diameter, and tissue composition influence fruit size, firmness, and sugar content.
In cultivation In Halloween types of pumpkin or squash plants, the shape of the pedicel has received particular attention because plant breeders are trying to optimize the size and shape of the pedicel for the best "lid" for a "jack-o'-lantern".
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See also Petiole, stalk at the base of a leaf. Sessile Scape
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