Table of Contents
- What is the Flower?
- What is Carpel?
- What is Pistil?
- Carpel and Pistil Differences
The anthology is the study of flowers and flowering plants, which mainly deals with the structure and function of Angiosperms.
What is the Flower?
Flowers are the reproductive part of a plant, which consists of sepals, petals, stamens and pistils. A complete flower consists of both vegetative and reproductive parts, which play an important role in the process of reproduction in plants. Among all other reproductive parts, carpels and pistils are the basic units of the gynoecium- the female part of a flower.
Explore more: Flower
What is Carpel?
The carpel is the fourth whorl of the flower present in the centre. It mainly comprises the style, stigma and ovary- the female parts of a flower. A single flower can have one or more carpels.
What is Pistil?
The pistil is the innermost, seed-bearing, female part of a flower. It is located generally to the centre and consists of a swollen base called the ovary. The pistil can also be referred to as a collection of carpels, which are fused together.
Also Refer: Morphology of flowering plants
Let’s learn about the differences between carpel and pistil
Carpel and Pistil Differences
| Carpel | Pistil |
| Part of a Flower | |
| Female reproductive structures in a flower. | Ovule or seed-bearing female organ of a flower. |
| Composed of | |
| Comprising an ovary, stigma and style. | Composed of a variable number of carpels. |
| Egg Cells | |
| Functions by producing egg cells. | There is no production of egg cells. |
| Fertilization | |
| Undergoes fertilization. | No fertilization occurs. |
| Seed production | |
| There is a production of seeds. | There is no production of seeds. |
| Functions | |
| Helps in seed dispersal. | Serves as the female reproductive part of the flower. |
| Significance | |
| The total number of styles in the flower helps to distinguish the number of carpels. | The total number of ovaries in the flower helps to distinguish the number of pistils. |
There are many more differences between carpel and pistil. Stay tuned with BYJU’S Biology for more differences and other Biology related topics.
