A raceme has a single central stem that bears several flowers, each on a stalk, in a spiral arrangement. The central stem is called the peduncle. The stalk bearing each flower is called a pedicel. Each flower bud of a raceme forms above a small modified leaf called a bract. The flowers of a raceme develop in a spiral pattern, with the lowest flowers on the peduncle developing first.
Flowers continue to develop at the tip of the peduncle as it grows.
This type of flowering is called an indeterminate inflorescence. Joseph E. Armstrong, Ph.D., Professor of Botany, Illinois State University. How to cite this article.