Difference Between Carpel and Pistil

Carpel and Pistil are the reproductive part of a flower in a plant, and they have a very slight difference between them. As carpel is composed of the stigma, style and ovary, while pistil is the union of the carpels or it can be the single carpel, so we can say that pistil is the fusion of carpels.

One can easily distinguish the number of carpels by checking the number of styles. In contrast, the number of pistils can be identified by the presence of the number of ovaries in flower.

The flower represents the angiosperms family of a plant, and they are the reproductive structure. A complete flower has distinctive reproductive structures and in specified colour and structure. So, a flower has four whorls, the lower whorls and the upper whorls.

The two upper whorls are known as reproductive whorl as they take part in reproduction. Further, these whorls are composed of microsporophylls and megasporophylls, where microsporophylls are termed as stamens and megasporophylls are termed as carpels (angiosperms).

The two lower whorls are known as accessory whorls as they directly do not participate in the reproduction of the flower. The third whorl is the male whorl and termed as androecium, while the fourth whorl is the female part and known as gynoecium. The role of the accessory pistil is to protect the essential organs, and mainly it attracts the pollinating insects.

The anthology is the branch of science that deals with the study of flowering plants and flowers and other properties of Angiosperms. With this, we will be studying the critical differences between the two main parts of the flower, which are carpel and pistil, with a brief description of them.

Content: Carpel Vs Pistil

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Similarities
5. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Carpel	Pistil
Meaning	Carpels are the female reproductive part of a flower that may be present singly or in several.	Pistils are the female part of a flower-bearing seed or ovule.
Made of	Stigma, ovary and style.	One or numerous carpels.
Role	Produce egg cells.	No egg cell production.
Production of Seeds	Support in-production of seed and its dispersal.	It does not produce seed, and though work as a female part of the flower.
Fertilization	Carpels undergo fertilization process.	Pistil does not undergo fertilization.

Definition of Carpel

The carpel is the innermost whorl present in flower, and it is the megasporophyll and seed-bearing, modified leaflike structure bearing ovule. Carpel consists of the ovary, style and stigma. It is the reproductive part of a flower.

The seed development within the carpel occurs, when the pollen grains from another flower enter and fertilize the egg within the carpel.

Definition of Pistil

The fusion or the union of one or more carpels make up the pistil. It is the female part of the flower, that is centrally located and has a swollen base, the ovary that has ovules or potential seeds, it also has a style or a stalk, emerging from the ovary, the stigma (the tip for receiving pollens) that can be of various shape and is quite sticky.

At the time of pollination, suitable pollen grains fall or stick to the stigma, that germinate by forming pollen tube. By growing down through the style, the pollen tubes transfer the sperm for fertilization of the ovules in the ovary.

The pistil is formed by the numerous leaflike structure enrolled within each other or of the carpels, that have one or more enclosed ovules. The carpel is the seed-bearing modified leaf, and there can be one carpel, two or more carpels (compound pistil) if the carpel is two or more in numbers in a pistil and united and so-known as syncarpous, while if the carpels are separated in flower so-known as apocarpous.

Similarities

• Both carpel and pistils are the female part of a flower.
• Sometimes both are composed of style, stigma and ovary.
• Their role is to produce seeds, undergo fertilization, helping in seed dispersal and producing eggs.

Conclusion

Flowers are the most essential and characteristic feature present in the angiosperms. Flowers has various other parts also, which make it a complete one and these are Peduncle, Receptacle, Sepal, Petal, Stamen, Anther, Pistil, Stigma and Ovary.

Carpel and pistil are the interchangeable words when there are only one carpel and one pistil in flower. As both are the part of the female reproductive system. Even these have some common parts also that play a critical role in fertilization of a flower.