Is the phrase "in spike" even correct? Terminology geek here.

[My Green Pets]

I was looking up different types of inflorescences and I found that there are lots of different ones, and a "spike" is only one specific kind.

Is right to say that an orchid plant is "in spike" ? If not, what would be the more botanically correct term?

Thank you

[AvantGardner]

Depending on the type of plant, the inflorescence can be described by different terms. Phals have racemes. Some bulbos have umbels (think medusae). A good example of a classic spike inflorescence would be a spiranthes.

To answer simply, the plant is bearing an inflorescence would be correct, botanically

[estación seca]

"In spike" is a horticultural term for something that doesn't matter much to a botanist (Yay! It's going to have flowers very soon!) , so there is no equivalent botanical term.

[PaphMadMan]

It is correct that spike in a botanical sense refers to a specific type of inflorescence anatomy, as opposed to panicle, corymb, umbel, etc. In a horticultural sense, and the phrase "in spike" is pretty specifically horticultural, it is much more broadly applied, especially to monocots (like orchids) no matter what the anatomy of the inflorescence.