These definitions do not contradict my rumination.
Mostly, you can recognize the pedicel by the fact that it is subtended by a
bract (and sometimes bearing bracteoles somewhere between bract and calyx).
Sometimes, however the bract (and bracteoles) is missing. In these cases,
mostly the "ultimate inflorescence branches" just below the calyx are the
pedicels.
>Ther must be other plants with "non-bracteoid" flowering stalks similar
>to Pinguicula. How about _Pyrola_ and/or other dwarf members of the
>Ericaceae? Could these offer insight into the Pinguicula predicament?
Certainly not!
_Pyrola_ s.str. always has racemose inflorescences with very conspicuous
peduncles, the pedicels evidently being side branches thereof. Only
_Moneses_ (_Pyrola_) _uniflora_ has single flowers (this is what the
epithet "uniflora" means). But (and very importantly so!), these flowers
are borne on peduncles. This can be deduced from the very conspicuous bract
some way below the calyx. The part between this bract and the calyx being
the pedicel. _Pinguicula_ has no signs of bracts on the flower stalk.
Only the species with forked flower stalks (_Pinguicula variegata_ and
_P.ramosa_) may be suspected to have a peduncle, but this inflorescence
cannot be called a raceme:
One of the two flowers is evidently the termination of a side branch. Given
the definitions above, this side branch is a pedicel. But what is the case
with the other flower? This has in turn to be the temination of the main
branch (i.e. the peduncle). Peduncles may be terminated by pedicels bearing
flowers; in this case the inflorescence type is called cymose (as opposed
to racemose in which the peduncle is terminated by a dormant or aborting
bud).
Do you remember our previous discussion with Barry? There, the cymose
inflorescence type appeared in connection with the (assumedly primitive)
sect. Pleiochasia of _Utricularia_.
-RUMINATION ENDS, SPECULATION BEGINS (ERBS)-
Maybe the cymose inflorescence type is a primitive (or rather
plesiomorphous) one in Lentibulariaceae evolution.
_SPECULATION ENDS, RUMINATION BEGINS (ESBR)-
However, it seems unlikely to me that the progenitors of _Utricularia_
should have evolved from some species of _Pinguicula_ with forked
inflorescences, as the affinities between _U._ and _Genlisea_ do seem to be
much closer than those between _U._ and _P._.
Kind regards
Jan