bicarpellate

Bicarpellate is a botanical term used to describe a gynoecium (the female part of a flower) that is composed of two carpels. A carpel is the basic unit of the gynoecium, typically enclosing ovules and forming the ovary, style, and stigma. In a bicarpellate floral structure, there are two carpels whose arrangement can vary: they may be free from one another (apocarpous) or fused together (syncarpous).

In an apocarpous bicarpellate gynoecium, the two carpels function as separate ovaries, often each with its own stigma, and the fruit may develop from two distinct chambers. In a syncarpous bicarpellate gynoecium, the two carpels are fused to create a single ovary that commonly contains two locules, though the exact internal anatomy can differ depending on fusion and placentation. The stigma may appear as two distinct lobes or as a single structure, depending on the degree of fusion and ornamentation.

The term bicarpellate is used in plant morphology and taxonomy to describe the number and arrangement of carpels in the gynoecium. It helps distinguish floral and fruit development patterns among species and is often contrasted with monocarpellate (one carpel) and polycarpellate (three or more carpels) gynoecia. Understanding whether a gynoecium is bicarpellate provides insight into ovary structure, locule formation, and potential fruit types in flowering plants.