Biology · Morphology of Flowering Plants · NEET
They are very close but not exactly the same. Gynoecium is the whole female whorl of the flower. A carpel or pistil is one unit of it. In an apocarpous flower there are many free pistils, so the gynoecium has many pistils. In a syncarpous flower the carpels fuse into one pistil, so gynoecium = one pistil. For NEET, treat carpel and pistil as the same unit and gynoecium as the full female whorl.
A carpel has three parts. (1) Stigma: the tip of the style, the receptive surface where pollen lands. (2) Style: the long, thin tube that connects the ovary to the stigma. (3) Ovary: the enlarged basal part that holds the ovules. NCERT states this in the exact order stigma, style, ovary, but by position from bottom to top it is ovary, then style, then stigma.
Both need more than one carpel. Apocarpous means the carpels are free and separate from each other, as in lotus and rose. Syncarpous means the carpels are fused (joined) together, as in mustard and tomato. NCERT line: 'when more than one carpel is present, they may be free... apocarpous... syncarpous when carpels are fused.' If there is only one carpel, it is called monocarpellary, not apo- or syncarpous.
Lotus is apocarpous. Its many carpels stay free and separate from each other, so you can see them as many small units on the receptacle. Rose is the other NCERT example of apocarpous. Do not confuse this with mustard and tomato, which are syncarpous (carpels fused).
Tricarpellary means the gynoecium is made of three carpels. Syncarpous means those three carpels are fused into one structure. So 'tricarpellary syncarpous' = three carpels joined together. In NEET this exact phrase is the diagnostic character of family Liliaceae (three fused carpels, superior trilocular ovary, axile placentation).
Tricarpellary, syncarpous gynoecium is found in flowers of:
The term 'polyadelphous' is related to:
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
The gynoecium is the female reproductive part of the flower. The male part is the androecium (stamens). Both androecium and gynoecium are reproductive organs, while calyx and corolla are accessory organs.
The stigma receives pollen. It sits at the tip of the style and is the sticky, receptive surface where pollen grains land during pollination.
The ovary holds one or more ovules on a cushion-like tissue called the placenta. After fertilisation, ovules become seeds and the ovary matures into the fruit.
No. A monocarpellary gynoecium has only one carpel, so there is nothing to be free from or fused with. Apocarpous and syncarpous terms are used only when there is more than one carpel.
NEET repeatedly asks the carpel number and fusion of families (Liliaceae, Solanaceae, Fabaceae) and the stigma-style-ovary order. Knowing apocarpous vs syncarpous with lotus/rose vs mustard/tomato examples directly answers 2-3 mark questions almost every year.
