Caudex

---

title: "Caudex" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["plant-anatomy", "plant-stem-morphology"] description: "Biological structure in a plant stem" topic_path: "science/biology" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudex" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Biological structure in a plant stem ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Dicksonia_antarctica_(Tasmanian_Fern_Tree).jpg" caption="The caudex of a tree fern resembles the trunk of a [[woody plant]], but has a different structure."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Jatropha_cathartica2_ies.jpg" caption="The caudex of ''[[Jatropha cathartica]]'' is [[pachycaul]], with thickening that provides water storage."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Caudexacanthocereusmaculatus.jpg" caption="Certain cacti can develop a caudex too; here ''[[Acanthocereus maculatus]]''"] ::

A caudex (: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.

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;

The related term caudiciform, literally meaning stem-like, is sometimes used to mean pachycaul, thick-stemmed. Caudices should not be confused with lignotubers which can also be very large.

Etymology

The term derives from the Latin caudex, a noun meaning "tree trunk"; 'codex' is an alternate form of the same word.

References

1. (2001). "The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms". Cambridge University Press.
2. Stearn, W.T.. (1992). "Botanical Latin: History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary, Fourth edition". David and Charles.
3. Simpson, M.G.. (2010). "Plant Systematics: Second Edition". Elsevier Science.
4. (2021-12-23). "Ombú in the Isla de la Cartuja in Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain".
5. "caudex - definition of caudex by The Free Dictionary". Thefreedictionary.com.
6. Lewis & Short. "A Latin Dictionary".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::