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pistil
pistil , one of the four basic parts of a flower , the central structure around which are arranged the stamens, the petals, and the sepals. The pistil is usually called the female reproductive organ of a flowering plant, although the actual reproductive structures are microscopic. The pistil has a bulbous base (the ovary) containing the ovules, which develop into seeds after fertilization of egg cell(s) in the ovule. A pistil is composed of one or more highly modified leaves (carpels), each containing one or more ovules. A flower may have one or more simple pistils, each a separate organ, or, in higher orders, a compound pistil, formed of several fused carpels. Usually, there is above the ovary a stalk (the style) bearing on its tip the stigma, where the pollen grains land and germinate (see pollination ). The stigma is often sticky or hairy, to retain the pollen. Evolutionary relationships can often be inferred from the location of the ovary in relation to the other parts of the flower. If the stamens, petals, and sepals are attached beneath the ovary, the flower is hypogynous and the ovary is superior; if they are attached above, the ovary is inferior and the flower epigynous; if the ovary is located in a receptacle at the outer edges of which are attached the other flower parts, it is called superior or half-inferior and the flower perigynous. A flower that has one or more pistils but no stamens (or nonfunctional ones) is called pistillate, or female, as distinguished from a staminate, or male, flower, in which the pistil is nonfunctional or absent. |
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"pistil." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pistil." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pistil.html "pistil." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pistil.html |
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pistil
pis·til / ˈpistl/ • n. Bot. the female organs of a flower, comprising the stigma, style, and ovary. |
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"pistil." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pistil." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-pistil.html "pistil." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-pistil.html |
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pistil
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"pistil." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pistil." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-pistil.html "pistil." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-pistil.html |
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pistil
pistil The female part of a flower, consisting either of a single carpel (simple pistil) or a group of carpels (compound pistil).
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"pistil." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pistil." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-pistil.html "pistil." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-pistil.html |
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pistil
pistil (bot.) female organ of a flower. XVIII. — F. pistile or L. pistillum PESTLE.
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T. F. HOAD. "pistil." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "pistil." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pistil.html T. F. HOAD. "pistil." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pistil.html |
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pistil
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "pistil." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "pistil." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-pistil.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "pistil." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-pistil.html |
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pistil
pistil •anthill • Edgehill • sidehill • molehill
•foothill • dunghill
•sigil, strigil, vigil
•strongyle • Virgil • Gaitskell • orchil
•roadkill • Danakil • overkill
•amyl, Tamil
•treadmill • windmill • gristmill
•sawmill • watermill • vinyl • mini-pill
•overspill • Caryl
•mandrel, mandrill
•Avril
•beryl, Cheryl, chrysoberyl, imperil, Merrill, peril, Sheryl
•tendril • April • Cyril • fibril • nombril
•nostril • Bovril • tumbril • escadrille
•espadrille • gracile • Cecil • utensil
•codicil • windowsill
•dactyl, pterodactyl
•pastille • standstill
•dentil, lentil, ventil
•quintile • pistil • postil • tormentil
•ethyl
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"pistil." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pistil." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-pistil.html "pistil." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-pistil.html |
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