Stipe (botany)

In the case of ferns, the stipe is only the petiole from the rootstock to the beginning of the leaf tissue, or lamina.

It is a non-viscid band or strap connecting the pollinia with the viscidium (the viscid part of the rostellum or beak).

A stipe is also a structure found in organisms that are studied by botanists but that are no longer classified as plants.

It may be the stem-like part of the thallus of a mushroom or a seaweed, and is particularly common among brown algae such as kelp.

The stipe of a kelp often contains a central region of cells that, like the phloem of vascular plants, serves to transport nutrients within the alga.