matplotlib.pyplot.stem¶

matplotlib.pyplot.stem(*args, linefmt=None, markerfmt=None, basefmt=None, bottom=0, label=None, use_line_collection=True, orientation='vertical', data=None)[source]

Create a stem plot.

A stem plot draws lines perpendicular to a baseline at each location locs from the baseline to heads, and places a marker there. For vertical stem plots (the default), the locs are x positions, and the heads are y values. For horizontal stem plots, the locs are y positions, and the heads are x values.

Call signature:

stem([locs,] heads, linefmt=None, markerfmt=None, basefmt=None)


The locs-positions are optional. The formats may be provided either as positional or as keyword-arguments.

Parameters:
locsarray-like, default: (0, 1, ..., len(heads) - 1)

For vertical stem plots, the x-positions of the stems. For horizontal stem plots, the y-positions of the stems.

For vertical stem plots, the y-values of the stem heads. For horizontal stem plots, the x-values of the stem heads.

linefmtstr, optional

A string defining the color and/or linestyle of the vertical lines:

Character Line Style
'-' solid line
'--' dashed line
'-.' dash-dot line
':' dotted line

Default: 'C0-', i.e. solid line with the first color of the color cycle.

Note: Markers specified through this parameter (e.g. 'x') will be silently ignored (unless using use_line_collection=False). Instead, markers should be specified using markerfmt.

markerfmtstr, optional

A string defining the color and/or shape of the markers at the stem heads. Default: 'C0o', i.e. filled circles with the first color of the color cycle.

basefmtstr, default: 'C3-' ('C2-' in classic mode)

A format string defining the properties of the baseline.

orientationstr, default: 'vertical'

If 'vertical', will produce a plot with stems oriented vertically, otherwise the stems will be oriented horizontally.

bottomfloat, default: 0

The y/x-position of the baseline (depending on orientation).

labelstr, default: None

The label to use for the stems in legends.

use_line_collectionbool, default: True

If True, store and plot the stem lines as a LineCollection instead of individual lines, which significantly increases performance. If False, defaults to the old behavior of using a list of Line2D objects. This parameter may be deprecated in the future.

Returns:
StemContainer

The container may be treated like a tuple (markerline, stemlines, baseline)

Notes

In addition to the above described arguments, this function can take a data keyword argument. If such a data argument is given, every other argument can also be string s, which is interpreted as data[s] (unless this raises an exception).
Objects passed as data must support item access (data[s]) and membership test (s in data).