A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Spikelet (Eng.noun), “the small terminal collection of florets among grasses” (Lindley); “1. a secondary spike, a cluster of one or more flowers subtended by a common pair of glumes, as in grasses” (Jackson); (in grasses) consisting of a series of distichous bracts (see glume, lemma, palea, rachilla); “a spikelet can refer to a small spike, although it is primarily used to refer to the ultimate flower cluster unit in grasses (family Poaceae) and sedges (family Cyperaceae), in which case the stalk supporting the cluster becomes the pedicel. A true spikelet comprises one or more florets enclosed by two glumes (sterile bracts), with flowers and glumes arranged in two opposite rows along the spikelet. Examples occur on rice (species Oryza sativa) and wheat (genus Triticum), both grasse” (Wikipedia 2014): spicula,-ae (s.f.I), abl.sg. spicula, nom. pl. spiculae, acc. pl. spiculas, dat. & abl. pl. spiculis, 'secondary spike, unit of the inflorescence in grasses,' to be distinguished from spiculum (s.n.II), 'a little sharp point (Stearn) [> dim. spica,ae (s.f.I), q.v., an ear of corn];'

- spiculae biflorae, flore inferiore masculo vel neutro, superiore hermaphrodito, nunc solitariae, nunc geminae vel plures congestae, spikelets 2-flowered with lower flower male of neuter, upper one hermaphrodite, now solitary, now paired or several crowded together (Stearn).

- spiculae in quoque pari altera sessilis altera pedicellata, spikelets in each pair one sessile the other pedicelled (Stearn).

- spiculae homogamae masculae vel steriles lanceolatae 3 cm. longae acutae, spiculae fertiles oblongae fere teretes, spikelets with one kind of flower (i.e. one-sexed) male or sterile lanceolate 3 cm. long acute, spikelets fertile oblong almost terete (Stearn).

Locusta,-ae (s.f.I), q.v., abl.sg. locusta: “a spikelet of Grasses; that is to say, one of the collections of florets formed in such plants” (Lindley).