Inflorescence - Peduncle

[Thomas G. Lammers]

At 04:23 AM 12/6/2004, Guido Mathieu wrote:
>A large number of authors (literature & Internet) simply define the
>peduncle as
>'the stalk of an inflorescence', not specifying whether the peduncle has to be
>considered as an integral part of that inflorescence or as a part of the stem
>not belonging to the inflorescence. Fewer references make explicit statements
>and list the peduncle as a part of the inflorescence (1) or, on the
>contrary, as
>to be excluded from the inflorescence (2) . Although both these opinions
>obviously coexist nobody seems to feel the need to provide 'evidence' for
>his/her point of view. I have no idea what the majority of you thinks. And I
>would be very pleased to hear some of the arguments by which you support your
>opinion.

I'm sort of curious why it matters.  Anatomically, there are three organs:
root, stem, leaf.  Peduncle is stem.  Any decision to include it in or
exclude it from the inflorescence would just be convention, it seems to me.


Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
Department of Biology and Microbiology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA

e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
phone:      920-424-1002
fax:           920-424-1101

Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and
biogeography of the Campanulaceae s. lat.

Webpages:
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/Lammers.htm
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/herbarium/herbarium.html
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/7156/lammers.html
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