ETYM New Lat. carpellum, from Greek karpos fruit.
(Homonym: carpal).
A simple pistil or one element of a compound pistil.
Botany, pistil; organ forming part of pistil.
Female reproductive unit in flowering plants (angiosperms). It usually comprises an ovary containing one or more ovules, the stalk or style, and a stigma at its top which receives the pollen. A flower may have one or more carpels, and they may be separate or fused together. Collectively the carpels of a flower are known as the gynoecium.