In botany, a spadix is a type of spike: an inflorescence with small flowers crowded on a thickened, fleshy axis. The term is applied to certain monocotyledons, especially members of the Family Araceae. In these flower clusters there is typically a spathe, a large, usually showy and solitary, bract that either subtends (lies just below) or partially encloses the spadix. The "flower" of the anthurium is a typical spadix with a large colorful spathe.