Gynaecia

Gynaecia is a term used in botany to refer to the female reproductive organ of a flower. It is also known as the pistil or carpel. The gynaecium is typically located at the center of the flower and is composed of one or more carpels. Each carpel is essentially a modified leaf that encloses the ovules, which develop into seeds after fertilization.

The gynaecium usually consists of three parts: the stigma, the style, and the ovary. The stigma is the receptive tip of the carpel, often sticky or feathery, where pollen grains land during pollination. The style is a stalk that connects the stigma to the ovary. The ovary is the swollen basal part of the carpel that contains one or more ovules. After fertilization, the ovary matures into a fruit, and the ovules inside develop into seeds.

The number, arrangement, and fusion of carpels can vary significantly among different plant species, leading to diverse gynaecium structures. For instance, a flower can have a single carpel (simple pistil) or multiple carpels that are either free from each other (apocarpous) or fused together (syncarpous). The study of gynaecia is crucial in plant taxonomy and understanding the reproductive biology of flowering plants.