peduncle

In zoology, a peduncle is a stalk that attaches a larger part of an organism or the whole body to something else. It can also refer to the stalk of a flower or a cluster of flowers. For instance, in fish and cetaceans, the caudal peduncle is the narrow section of the body just before the tail fin. In plants, the peduncle is the stalk of a single flower or an inflorescence, which is a cluster of flowers. If a flower is solitary, the peduncle is the stem segment between the receptacle and the bract. In some barnacles, the peduncle is a stalk that elevates the main body above the substrate and may contain ovaries and musculature.1234