panicle

Imagine the feathery top of an oat or sorghum plant swaying in the breeze: that's a panicle. It is a branched cluster of flowers or seeds, often shaped like a cone or a soft plume. You may not hear the word much in daily conversation, but botanists and gardeners use it for plants whose flower heads spread out into smaller branches. The airy tops of oats, millet, rice, and many ornamental grasses are good examples.

A panicle (pronounced PAN-i-kul) is a type of inflorescence, or flower cluster, with a main stem that branches into smaller stems, which may branch again and carry the individual flowers or seeds. Unlike a simple cluster, where the flowers attach more directly, this structure has a clear "branch-on-branch" pattern. The result is often a loose, airy shape that can look pyramidal, spreading, or plume-like.

You'll most commonly find panicles on grasses and grains such as oats, rice, millet, and sorghum, and also on some other plants, including lilacs and certain hydrangeas. In some plants the panicle holds flowers, and in others it later carries seeds or grain. Think of a field of oats: the loose, branching heads moving in the wind are panicles.

The word comes from the Latin panicula, meaning "tuft." The term is mainly used in botany, where it helps describe the exact arrangement of flowers on a plant. So when you see a feathery or branching flower head on a grass or grain plant, you are likely looking at a panicle.