caudex

(-deks′)

noun pl. caudices or caudexes

  1. the persistent stem of a perennial plant
  2. the stem of a woody plant, esp. of a palm or tree fern

Origin: L, tree trunk, log: see hew

See caudex in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. cau·di·ces (-dĭ-sēzˌ) or cau·dex·es
  1. The thickened, usually underground base of the stem of many perennial herbaceous plants, from which new leaves and flowering stems arise.
  2. The trunk of a palm or tree fern.

Origin:

Origin: Latin caudex, tree trunk

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