Skip to main content
monopodium

monopodium

9.9
A single main stem that keeps growing from its tip
  • noun
  • /məˈnɑːpədiəm/
  • Specialized
: monopodio
  • The orchid develops a monopodium that continues to grow taller each year.

Examples

  • Unlike many shrubs, this plant has a single monopodium instead of multiple branches.

  • The monopodium of the plant allows it to grow tall and slender.

  • Botanists studied the monopodium to understand how the plant achieves vertical growth.

  • A monopodium can be found in various species of trees.

  • The orchid develops a monopodium that continues to grow taller each year.

  • Unlike many shrubs, this plant has a single monopodium instead of multiple branches.

  • Botanists studied the monopodium to understand how the plant achieves vertical growth.

Surface Forms

monopodium singular
monopodia plural

Morphology

monopodium = mono + pod + ium

This is a learned classical formation (mono- + pod- + -ium), but the botanical sense 'single main stem or base' is not readily predictable for an average learner from those parts.

Etymology

Monopodium comes from the Greek parts mono- meaning 'one' and podium meaning 'foot' or 'base', like in tripod which has three 'feet'. So a monopodium is a plant with a single main stem or base that keeps growing from its tip.