July 29, 2023

Raceme

A very simple explanation of our Dirty
Word of the Day comes from the website Botany World. Citing Botany World, a
raceme is a type of flower inflorescence with a central stem (or axis) that
produces a series of flowers along its length in an unbranched arrangement.
Each flower is attached to the central stem by a short stalk.. The flowers
bloom from the bottom up, meaning the oldest flowers are at the base of the
raceme and the newest at the tip.

The term ?raceme? comes from the Latin
?racēmus? which means ?a cluster or bunch? as with grapes. It was first used in
1785.

Difference between a
raceme and an inflorescence

The term inflorescence is used to
describe the arrangement of flowers on a plant. It refers to the pattern and
sequence of flower budding and blooming, as well as how the flowers are
organised on the stem or branches. There are many different types of inflorescences,
such as racemes, spikes, umbels and panicles.

To summarise, racemes are
inflorescence, but not all inflorescences are racemes. Examples of racemes
occur on:

Alyssum

Avocado

Black Locust

Bleeding Hearts

Bluebells

Coral Bells

Delphinium

Foxglove

Horse Chestnut

Hyacinth

Lilac

Lily of the Valley

Lupine

Mustard

Radish

Snapdragon

Wisteria

Vanda orchids