Jump to content

Caudex

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Autisticeditor 20 (talk | contribs) at 22:53, 8 August 2023 (tweaked). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The caudex of a tree fern resembles the trunk of a woody plant, but has a different structure.
The caudex of Jatropha cathartica is pachycaul, with thickening that provides water storage.

A caudex (pl.: caudices) of a plant is a stem,[1] but the term is also used to mean a rootstock[2] and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.[3]

In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is most often used with plants that have a different stem morphology from the typical angiosperm dicotyledon stem:[1] examples of this include palms, ferns, and cycads.

The related term caudiciform, literally meaning stem-like, is sometimes used to mean pachycaul, thick-stemmed.[3]

Etymology

The term is from the Latin caudex, a noun meaning "tree trunk".[2][4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Hickey, M.; King, C. (2001). The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms. Cambridge University Press.
  2. ^ a b Stearn, W.T. (1992). Botanical Latin: History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary, Fourth edition. David and Charles.
  3. ^ a b Simpson, M.G. (2010). Plant Systematics: Second Edition. Elsevier Science. ISBN 9780080922089.pages 456 and 695
  4. ^ "caudex - definition of caudex by The Free Dictionary". Thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 2014-07-15.