spike

inflorescence

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July 14, 2026

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barley Mature spikes of barley (*Hordeum vulgare*).

A flower spike, also known as a flower spike, is a type of indeterminate inflorescence. In this arrangement, the youngest flowers are located at the top of an elongated axis or in the center of a truncated axis.12

Unlike a raceme, where flowers are borne on pedicels, a spike has flowers that attach directly to the main axis. Examples of plants with spikes include barley and cattails. Other types of indeterminate inflorescences include panicles, catkins, corymbs, umbels, and heads.12

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flower spike
inflorescence
angiosperm - Inflorescences

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inflorescence
Indeterminate inflorescence.
A spike is a raceme, but the flowers develop directly from the stem and are not borne on pedicels, as in barley (Hordeum).
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A spike is a raceme, but the flowers develop directly from the stem and are not borne on pedicels, as in barley (Hordeum).
Read More
angiosperm
Inflorescences
A spike is a raceme except that the flowers are attached directly to the axis at the axil of each leaf rather than to a pedicel. An example of a spike is the cattail (Typha; Typhaceae). The fleshy spike characteristic of the Araceae is called a…
Read More
A spike is a raceme except that the flowers are attached directly to the axis at the axil of each leaf rather than to a pedicel. An example of a spike is the cattail (Typha; Typhaceae). The fleshy spike characteristic of the Araceae is called a…
Read More