– Description:
– The stigma is part of the pistil in the female reproductive organ of a plant.
– It is where pollen germinates and is often sticky to catch and trap pollen.
– Stigma receives pollen from air, insects, or water for pollination.
– It assists in rehydration and germination of pollen.
– Stigma plays a role in pollen discrimination and self-incompatibility reactions.
– Shape:
– Stigma can be trifid (three-lobed) or capitate (resembling a pinhead).
– Shapes vary from simple to complex like maize stigmas.
– Different plants have diverse stigma shapes.
– Style Structure:
– The style connects the ovary to the stigma and may be absent in sessile stigmas.
– Styles can be open with a central canal or closed with transmitting tissue.
– Some plants have branched or lobed styles for pollen tube growth.
– See also:
– The stigma is related to the gynoecium in plant structure.
– Spadix in botany is another structure related to stigma.
– References:
– Various botanical sources provide detailed information on stigma.
– Studies on pollen and stigma function are available in scientific literature.
– Books and publications offer insights into the anatomy of flowers and plant reproduction.
The stigma (pl.: stigmas or stigmata) is the receptive tip of a carpel, or of several fused carpels, in the gynoecium of a flower.
