pistilliform

Pistilliform is a botanical descriptor used for structures that resemble a pistil in form. The term denotes morphological similarity to the female reproductive organ of flowers (the pistil) without implying that the part functions as a pistil or contributes to fertilization. It is employed in floristics, descriptive botany, and paleobotany to note shape and arrangement of floral parts.

In description, pistilliform elements are characterized by an elongate, central projection that may terminate in a rounded, stigma-like tip or simply imitate the overall silhouette of a pistil. Such forms can appear in modified inflorescences, sterile flowers, or aberrant specimens where other organs are reduced or altered. The descriptor helps communicate how a structure resembles the pistil, aiding comparison across taxa.

Etymology: pistilliform derives from pistil, the female reproductive organ, with the suffix -iform meaning "in the form of" or "pistil-shaped."

See also: pistil, gynoecium, floral morphology, plant morphology.