panicle

noun

(L. panicula: panicle) A branched, racemose inflorescence with flowers maturing from the bottom upwards. An indeterminate inflorescence whose primary axis bears branches of pedicelled flowers (at least basally so); a branching raceme. A loose irregularly compound inflorescence with pedicellate flowers. A branched racemose inflorescence often applied more widely to any branched inflorescence. A compound raceme; an indeterminate inflorescence in which the flowers are borne on branches of the main axis or on further branches of these. A type of flowering shoot common in the grass family. The primary axis bears groups of racemes and is itself racemose, as the youngest groups of flowers are at the top (e.g. oat). The term may be used loosely for any form of branched racemose inflorescence; for example, the horse chestnut is a raceme of cymes. Both these arrangements are seen in the family Polygonaceae (docks and sorrels).