A
carpel is the female reproductive organ of a
flower. The major parts of the carpel are:
- the stigma, a sticky area to which the male flower's pollen can adhere once it has been delivered by a pollinating animal or the wind;
- the ovary, containing the female reproductive cells; and
- the style, a stalk connecting the stigma and ovary.
Fertilization results in development of a fruit, such as a
berry, in which the carpels are present as fleshy, seed-bearing, lobe-like structures.
This is a stub.