'short-stalked' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'short' + 'stalk' with the adjectival suffix '-ed'. 'short' ultimately comes from Old English 'sceort' meaning 'short', and 'stalk' comes from Old English 'stealc' meaning 'stem' or 'trunk'.

'short-stalked' developed by compounding the adjective 'short' and the noun 'stalk' plus '-ed' in Middle to Modern English. The element 'short' derives from Old English 'sceort' and 'stalk' from Old English 'stealc', which together yielded descriptive compounds like 'short-stalked' in botanical usage.

Initially the components meant simply 'short' and 'stem/stalk', and combined they have long been used to mean 'having a short stalk'; this core meaning has remained stable into modern botanical and descriptive usage.