Acaudex (pl.: caudices) of a plant is a stem,[1] but the term is also used to mean a rootstock[2] and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.[3]
In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is most often used with plants that have a different stem morphology from the typical angiosperm dicotyledon stem:[1] examples of this include palms, ferns, and cycads.
The related term caudiciform, literally meaning stem-like, is sometimes used to mean pachycaul, thick-stemmed.[3]
The term is from the Latin caudex, a noun meaning "tree trunk".[2][4]
