An elongate, unbranched, indeterminate inflorescence with sessile flowers.
Spikelet
A small spike, characteristic of grasses and sedges.
Raceme
An elongate, unbranched, indeterminate inflorescence with pedicelled flowers.
Panicle
A branched raceme.
Corymb
A flat-topped raceme with elongate pedicels reaching the same level.
Compound Corymb
A branched corymb.
Umbel
A flat-topped or rounded inflorescence with the pedicels originating from a common point.
Umbels can be determinate or indeterminate.
Compound Umbel
A branched umbel, with primary rays arising from a common point, and secondary umbels arising
from the tip of the primary rays.
Capitulum
A dense vertically compressed inflorescence with sessile flowers on a receptacle and subtended
by an involucre of phyllaries, characteristic of the Asteraceae. Heads can be determinate or
indeterminate.
Thyrse
A many-flowered inflorescence with an indeterminate central axis and many opposite, lateral
dichasia; a mixed inflorescence, with determinate and indeterminate shoots.
Determinate Inflorescences
Simple Cyme or Dichasium
A determinate inflorescence with 2 dichotomous lateral branches and pedicles of equal length.
Compound Dichasium
A branched dichasium.
Compound Cyme
A determinate thyrse.
Helicoid Cyme (or Bostryx)
A determinate cyme in which the branches develop only on 1 side, due to the abortion of
opposing paired bud, the inflorescence thus appearing simple.
Cincinnus
A tight, modified helicoid cyme in which the pedicels are very short.
Scorpioid Cyme (or Rhipidium)
A zig-zag determinate cyme with branches developing alternately on opposite sides of the
rachis, due to abortion of opposing paired bud.
