Definition

1. Noun:
   • The female reproductive organ of a flowering plant: The pistil is the ovule-bearing part of a flower, typically located in the center. It is composed of three main parts: the ovary (which contains the ovules), the style (a slender stalk), and the stigma (the receptive tip for pollen).

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The botanist carefully examined the flower's pistil under a microscope.
  • For the plant to produce fruit, pollen must reach the pistil.
  • A simple flower may have only one pistil, while a complex one can have many.

Advanced Usage

• "Compound pistil": A pistil formed from two or more fused carpels (the basic units of a pistil).

  • The lily has a compound pistil made of three fused carpels.

• "Superior pistil": A pistil where the ovary is situated above the point of attachment of other floral parts (sepals and petals).

  • In roses, the pistil is superior.

Variants and Related Words

• Pistillate (adj): (Of a flower) having one or more pistils but no stamens; female.

  • The pistillate flowers will develop into fruit if pollinated.

• Carpel (n): A single unit of a pistil; a simple pistil consists of one carpel.

  • The pea flower has a simple pistil composed of a single carpel.

Synonyms

• Gynoecium: (Botanical term) The collective term for all the pistils (or carpels) in a flower.

Related Terms and Concepts

• Stamen: The male, pollen-producing part of a flower, which is the counterpart to the pistil.
• Pollination: The process of transferring pollen from a stamen to a stigma of a pistil.

Noun

1. the female ovule-bearing part of a flower composed of ovary and style and stigma