diff --git a/.flake8 b/.flake8
index 4500550227d2..21e44dfea9d2 100644
--- a/.flake8
+++ b/.flake8
@@ -143,6 +143,7 @@ per-file-ignores =
     examples/lines_bars_and_markers/scatter_piecharts.py: E402
     examples/lines_bars_and_markers/scatter_with_legend.py: E402
     examples/lines_bars_and_markers/span_regions.py: E402
+    examples/lines_bars_and_markers/stem_plot.py: E402
     examples/lines_bars_and_markers/step_demo.py: E402
     examples/misc/agg_buffer.py: E402
     examples/misc/anchored_artists.py: E501
diff --git a/examples/lines_bars_and_markers/stem_plot.py b/examples/lines_bars_and_markers/stem_plot.py
index 2a5ad4d401b7..3ea49c10b787 100644
--- a/examples/lines_bars_and_markers/stem_plot.py
+++ b/examples/lines_bars_and_markers/stem_plot.py
@@ -3,23 +3,41 @@
 Stem Plot
 =========
 
-Stem plot plots vertical lines from baseline to the y-coordinate
-Plotting cosine(x) w.r.t x, using '-.' as the pattern
-for plotting vertical lines
+`~.pyplot.stem` plots vertical lines from a baseline to the y-coordinate and
+places a marker at the tip.
 """
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 import numpy as np
 
-# returns 10 evenly spaced samples from 0.1 to 2*PI
-x = np.linspace(0.1, 2 * np.pi, 10)
+x = np.linspace(0.1, 2 * np.pi, 41)
+y = np.exp(np.sin(x))
 
-markerline, stemlines, baseline = plt.stem(x, np.cos(x), '-.')
+plt.stem(x, y)
+plt.show()
 
-# setting property of baseline with color red and linewidth 2
-plt.setp(baseline, color='r', linewidth=2)
+#############################################################################
+#
+# The position of the baseline can be adapted using *bottom*.
+# The parameters *linefmt*, *markerfmt*, and *basefmt* control basic format
+# properties of the plot. However, in contrast to `~.pyplot.plot` not all
+# properties are configurable via keyword arguments. For more advanced
+# control adapt the line objects returned by `~.pyplot`.
 
+markerline, stemlines, baseline = plt.stem(x, y, linefmt='grey', markerfmt='D',
+                                           bottom=1.1)
+markerline.set_markerfacecolor('none')
 plt.show()
 
-#############################
-# This example makes use of:
-# * :meth:`matplotlib.axes.Axes.stem`
+#############################################################################
+#
+# ------------
+#
+# References
+# """"""""""
+#
+# The use of the following functions, methods, classes and modules is shown
+# in this example:
+
+import matplotlib
+matplotlib.pyplot.stem
+matplotlib.axes.Axes.stem