carpel, One of the leaflike, seed-bearing structures that constitute the innermost whorl of a flower. One or more carpels make up the pistil. Fertilization of an egg within a carpel by a pollen grain from another flower results in seed development within the carpel.
ovary, in botany, enlarged basal portion of the pistil, the female organ of a flower. The ovary contains ovules, which develop into seeds upon fertilization. The ovary itself will mature into a fruit, either dry or fleshy, enclosing the seeds.
A simple or unicarpellate ovary is formed from a single carpel, an evolutionarily modified leaf. It has one locule (chamber), within which are the ovules. A multicarpellate ovary consists of more than one carpel and may have one or more locules.
Ovary position is a useful feature in classification. An ovary attached above other floral parts is termed superior (see ); when it lies below the attachment of other floral parts, it is inferior (see ).
