|
The sterile portion of the carpel between the ovary and the stigma, which may be elongated or feathery, especially in wind-pollinated species, so that the stigma is presented in an effective place for pollination. In primitive forms the styles of individual carpels are separate. In more advanced forms they tend to be fused. In some plants, notably traveller's joy (Clematis vitalba) and the pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris), the style elongates after pollination and remains attached to the fruit. This is an adaptation to promote wind dispersal of the seed.
|
