Question

The expression ‘gynoecium is apocarpous’ implies that
a. Gynoecium comprises only pistil which is fused with stamen
b. Gynoecium comprises more than one pistil, all of which are free
c. Gynoecium comprises more than one carpel which are fused
d. Gynoecium comprises only one carpel which is free

Answer 1

Hint: The carpel is the entity of a gynoecium. At the top of a carpel is a stand called the stigma. It is muggy to catch pollen grains. At the underside of a carpel is a rounded composition called an ovary. Connecting the stigma and ovary is a pipe called a style. Pollen grains discharge sperm cells that go down the style and into the ovary.

Complete answer:
The gynoecium is the female reproductive whorl whose sole unit is called carpel. When the carpels are present in numerous amounts it is called multicarpellary. When these carpels are detached from each other and do not possess cohesion, the condition is known as apocarpous.
- When more than one carpel is fused then the gynoecium is multicarpellary syncarpous.
- When there is only one carpel, the gynoecium is simply monocarpellary
- When fused with stamens, the gynoecium is gynandrous
- The gynoecium is apocarpous when multiple carpels are there and they are free.

The apocarpous gynoecium is composed of the set of many simple pistils (consisting of only one carpel). Feature fruit for simple pistils is known as a follicle. Such an occurrence can be observed in primitive families as Magnoliaceae or Ranunculaceae.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: A monocarpous gynoecium is composed of only one carpel. This means that in the center of a flower there is only a single stigma, single style, and single ovary. For illustration, the flowers that create peach fruits are monocarpous. The single ovule suits the seed or pit of a peach, and the single ovary becomes the juicy fruit that you consume. Keep in mind that ovaries enclose more than one ovule.