柄 is a noun with two concrete senses—the handle of a tool or the stem of a plant—plus a figurative use in literary Chinese meaning “power” or “authority” (often in compounds like 权柄 and 笑柄). When you talk about a physical object that is long and gripped (a knife, an umbrella, a flower), 柄 is the generic term you need. The abstract sense appears in formal or written contexts, not everyday conversation.