In botany, a stipe is a stalk that supports some other structure.[1] The precise meaning is different depending on which taxonomic group is being described.
It may be the stem-like part of the thallus of a seaweed, being particularly common in brown algae such as kelp. In the case of ferns, the stipe is only the petiole from the rootstock to the beginning of the leaf tissue, or lamina. The continuation of the structure within the lamina is then termed a rachis.
In flowering plants, the term is often used in reference to a stalk that sometimes supports a flower's ovary. In orchids, the stipe or caudicle is the stalk-like support of the pollinia. It is a non-viscid band or strap connecting the pollinia with the viscidium (the viscid part of the rostellum or beak).
See also
- Stipe (mycology). A stipe is also the stalk supporting the fruiting body of some fungi.
References
- ^ "UCMP Glossary: Botany". University of California Museum of Paleontology. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/glossary_8.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-09.
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