Rachis

The rachis is the main axis of the inflorescence Inflorescence

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flower [i]s on a branch of a plant [i]. ...

, or spike Spike

Spike may refer to: * Nail [i], especially one more than 4 inches long ...

, of wheat Wheat

Wheat is a grass [i] that is cultivated worldwide. ...

and other cereal Cereal

Cereal crops [i] are mostly grasses [i] cultivated for their edible grains or seed [i] ...

s, to which the spikelets are attached. It is also the part of the petiole that the pinnae are attached to in fern Fern

A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species [i] of plant [i]s classified in the phylum or divis ...

s, or the main stem of a compound leaf Leaf

In botany [i], a leaf is an above-ground plant [i] organ [i] specialized for photosynthesis [i]. ...

. Spikelets are small inflorescences bearing one or more florets, or small flowers Flower

A flower,rflorem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reprod ...

, along with a set of miniature bractlike leaves. When the fruits Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings depending on context....

of the wild-type wheat are fully ripened, a series of layers forms that divides the rachis into dispersal units consisting of a single spikelet attached to a short segment of the rachis.

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Encyclopedia

Rachis is also the alternate spelling of Ratchis, king of the Lombards, 744-749.

The rachis is the main axis of the inflorescence Inflorescence

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flower [i]s on a branch of a plant [i]. ...

, or spike Spike

Spike may refer to:
Nail [i], especially one more than 4 inches long

...

, of wheat Wheat

Wheat is a grass [i] that is cultivated worldwide. ...

and other cereal Cereal

Cereal crops [i] are mostly grasses [i] cultivated for their edible grains or seed [i] ...

s, to which the spikelets are attached. It is also the part of the petiole that the pinnae are attached to in fern Fern

A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species [i] of plant [i]s classified in the phylum or divis ...

s, or the main stem of a compound leaf Leaf

In botany [i], a leaf is an above-ground plant [i] organ [i] specialized for photosynthesis [i]. ...

.

Spikelets are small inflorescences bearing one or more florets, or small flowers Flower

A flower,rflorem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reprod ...

, along with a set of miniature bractlike leaves. When the fruits Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings depending on context....

of the wild-type wheat are fully ripened, a series of layers forms that divides the rachis into dispersal units consisting of a single spikelet attached to a short segment of the rachis. A ripe head of wheat is thus easily shattered into dispersal units when touched or blown by the wind Wind

Wind is the roughly horizontal movement of air [i] caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface. ...

. This is referred to by archaeologists Archaeology

Archaeology, archeology, or archology is the study of human [i] culture [i]s through...

as a "brittle rachis".

In animal anatomy Zootomy

Zootomy is a contraction of zoological [i] and anatomy [i] and refers to the dissection of animal [i]s a ...

, rachis is the series of articulated vertebrae Vertebra

Vertebrae are the individual irregular bones [i] that make up the vertebral column [i] — a flexuou ...

, which encase the spinal cord Spinal cord

In vertebrates, the spinal cord is the part of the central nervous system [i] that is enclosed in and pr ...

and forms the supporting axis of the body; the spine. This is also called vertebral column. In bird feathers, rachis refers to the central shaft.