pistils

A pistil is the female reproductive organ of a flower. It typically comprises the stigma, the style, and the ovary. The stigma is the receptive surface for pollen, the style is a stalk that connects stigma to the ovary, and the ovary contains ovules, which develop into seeds after fertilization. When pollen germinates on the stigma, a pollen tube grows down the style to fertilize an ovule inside the ovary, initiating seed formation and often leading to the maturation of the ovary into a fruit.

A flower may have a simple pistil, consisting of a single carpel, or a compound pistil formed by two or more carpels that are fused together. The term gynoecium refers to all the pistils in a flower. Carpels can be free-standing or fused, and the ovary’s position relative to the other floral parts creates standard classifications such as superior (hypogynous), inferior (epigynous), or half-inferior (perigynous).

In terms of function, the pistil is the site of fertilization and seed development. After successful fertilization, the ovary often enlarges and develops into a fruit, enclosing the seeds. Flowers may be pistillate (having only pistils, and thus female reproductive parts), staminate (having only stamens), or bisexual, containing both male and female structures. Note that gymnosperms do not have true pistils; their ovules are exposed on structures such as cones.