[kahr-puh
l] 
| a simple pistil, or a single member of a compound pistil. |
[kahr-puh-ler-ee] , adjective | car·pel (kär'pəl) n. One of the structural units of a pistil, representing a modified, ovule-bearing leaf. [New Latin carpellum, from Greek karpos, fruit; see kerp- in Indo-European roots.] car'pel·lar'y (-pə-lěr'ē) adj. |
| carpel (kär'pəl) Pronunciation Key
One of the individual female reproductive organs in a flower. A carpel is composed of an ovary, a style, and a stigma, although some flowers have carpels without a distinct style. In origin, carpels are leaves (megasporophylls) that have evolved to enclose the ovules. The term pistil is sometimes used to refer to a single carpel or to several carpels fused together. See more at flower. |