a. Also 9 spikate. [ad. L. spīcāt-us, pa. pple. of spīcāre to furnish with spikes, to make pointed, f. spīca SPIKE sb.1]
1. Bot. a. Of plants: Having an efflorescence in the form of a spike. b. Of flowers: Arranged in a spike.
α. 1668. Wilkins, Real. Char., II. iv. § 4. 93. Spicate flowers. Ibid., 94. Spicate herbs.
1760. J. Lee, Introd. Bot., III. xxi. (1765), 217. Spicate, with the Flowers in Spikes.
1857. A. Gray, First Less. Bot., 231. Spicate, belonging to or disposed in a spike.
1869. Oliver, Elem. Bot., II. 173. A perennial erect herb, with … terminal spicate rose or purple flowers.
1876. Harley, Royle’s Mat. Med., 780. The flowers whitish, in long branched spicate racemes.
β. 1847. W. E. Steele, Field Bot., 192. Infl. capitate, spikate, unilateral, recurved.
1896. G. Henslow, Wild Fl., 113. The terminal portion of the spikate inflorescence.
2. Zool. Having the form of a spike; pointed.
1856. W. Clark, Van der Hoeven’s Zool., I. 314. Athericera, Antennæ … presenting the form of a patella or capitulum, and in most supplied with a seta or spicate appendage.
