A Carpel

<p style="margin: 0.5em 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">The pistils of a flower are considered to be composed of <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">carpels.<span class="mw-ref" id="cite_ref-Carpel.name_10-0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 1; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: super; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/#cite_note-Carpel.name-10" data-mw-group="note" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161); counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"></a> A carpel is the female reproductive part of the flower, interpreted as modified leaves bearing structures called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovule" title="Ovule" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">ovules</a>, inside which the egg cells ultimately form. A pistil may consist of one carpel, with its ovary, style and stigma, or several carpels may be joined together with a single ovary, the whole unit called a pistil. The gynoecium may consist of one or more uni-carpellate (with one carpel) pistils, or of one multi-carpellate pistil. The number of carpels is described by terms such as <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">tricarpellate (three carpels).<p style="margin: 0.5em 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Carpels are thought to be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylogenetically" title="Phylogenetically" class="mw-redirect" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">phylogenetically</a> derived from ovule-bearing leaves or leaf homologues (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megasporophyll" title="Megasporophyll" class="mw-redirect" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">megasporophylls</a>), which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules. This structure is typically rolled and fused along the margin.<p style="margin: 0.5em 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Although many flowers satisfy the above definition of a carpel, there are also flowers that do not have carpels according to this definition because in these flowers the ovule(s), although enclosed, are borne directly on the shoot apex.<span class="mw-ref" id="cite_ref-Satt88_5-1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 1; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: super; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/#cite_note-Satt88-5" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161); counter-reset: mw-Ref 5;"></a><span class="mw-ref" id="cite_ref-11" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 1; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: super; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/#cite_note-11" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(107, 75, 161); counter-reset: mw-Ref 10;"></a> Different remedies have been suggested for this problem. An easy remedy that applies to most cases is to redefine the carpel as an appendage that encloses ovule(s) and may or may not bear them.