columella

• ⇰ An axis to which a carpel of a compound pistil may be attached, as in the case of the geranium; or which is left when a pod opens.
• ⇰ A term applied to various columnlike parts; <as>as, the <ex>columella</ex>, or epipterygoid bone, in the skull of many lizards; the <ex>columella</ex> of the ear, the bony or cartilaginous rod connecting the tympanic membrane with the internal ear</as>.
• ⇰ The upright pillar in the axis of most univalve shells.