Term:
Stipe (stipitate)
Stipe (stipitate)
Definition:
The term stipe has several different meanings: 1) in Arecaceae (palms) it is used to indicate the presence of a trunk, 2) in some Orchidaceae, a stipe is a nonsticky, elastic tissue derived from the column and connecting the pollinia to the viscidium; 3) a stalk supporting the ovary but generally much shorter than the stalk of a species with a gynophore; and 4) the stalk of a fern frond, the equivalent of a petiole in the flowering plants. A species or structure that has a stipe is said to be stipitate.
The term stipe has several different meanings: 1) in Arecaceae (palms) it is used to indicate the presence of a trunk, 2) in some Orchidaceae, a stipe is a nonsticky, elastic tissue derived from the column and connecting the pollinia to the viscidium; 3) a stalk supporting the ovary but generally much shorter than the stalk of a species with a gynophore; and 4) the stalk of a fern frond, the equivalent of a petiole in the flowering plants. A species or structure that has a stipe is said to be stipitate.