An inflorescence that does not branch and has tiny flowers attached directly to the main stem is called a ...

• A. Spike
• B. Panicle
• C. Raceme
• D. Catkin

Answer: (A)

A spike is an unbranched inflorescence with flowers attached directly to the main axis. That means there’s no branching and no stalks (pedicels) coming off the axis—the flowers sit right on the central stem. The description in the question matches this perfectly.

If it were branched, it would be a panicle. If the flowers were on short stalks along the axis rather than directly attached, it would be a raceme. A catkin is a long, slender structure with many tiny flowers, usually pendant and often associated with wind-pollination, which doesn't fit the simple, stalkless spike description. So the correct term for an inflorescence that doesn’t branch and has tiny flowers attached directly to the main stem is a spike.