In botany, stipule (Latin stipula: straw, stalk)'s a term coined by Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). A pair of stipules's considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many species the stipules are inconspicuous or entirely absent (and the leaf's then termed exstipulate). Stipules are morphologically variable and might appear as glands, scales, hairs, spines, or laminar (leaf-like) structures… (More on Stipule)