syncarpous

Syncarpous is a botanical term used to describe a gynoecium in which two or more carpels are fused (connate) to form a single ovary. The word comes from Greek roots meaning “together” and “fruit.” In a syncarpous gynoecium, the carpels may be completely united along their margins, creating one ovary, or only partially fused in ways that still yield a single ovary with multiple locules. As a result, the ovary may be unilocular or multilocular, depending on the pattern of fusion. The arrangement of the style and stigma is associated with the united structure, but specifics vary among species.

Syncarpy is contrasted with apocarpy, where the carpels remain separate and function as multiple, discrete pistils within the same flower. The presence or absence of carpel fusion has implications for fruit development, seed arrangement, and reproductive strategies, and it is a characteristic feature used in floral morphology, taxonomy, and evolutionary studies. In practice, researchers examine the fusion of carpels, the number and arrangement of locules, and the resulting fruit type to characterize a plant’s syncarpous gynoecium.