What does "stipule" mean?

A basal appendage of a typical leaf of a flowering plant, usually appearing paired beside the petiole although sometimes absent or highly modified.

What is a synonym for "stipule"?

Common synonyms include: blade, bract, flag, frond, leaf, leaflet.

//ˈstɪpjuːl// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A basal appendage of a typical leaf of a flowering plant, usually appearing paired beside the petiole although sometimes absent or highly modified.
2
a small leafy outgrowth at the base of a leaf or its stalk; usually occurring in pairs and soon shed wordnet

From French, from Latin stipula (“stalk (of hay), straw”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.