n.
Female reproductive part of a flower .
Centrally located, the pistil typically has a swollen base called the ovary, which contains the potential seeds (ovules). The stalk (style) arises from the ovary and has a pollen-receptive tip, the stigma, which is variously shaped and often sticky. There may be a single pistil, as in the lily , or several to many pistils, as in the buttercup . Each pistil is constructed of one to many rolled leaflike structures, or carpels . Differences in the composition and form of the pistil are useful in classifying flowering plants. See also stamen .