Gamogyne

A gamogyne (also sometimes spelled gamogynous) is a botanical term referring to a flower with a pistil formed of united carpels. In other words, it describes a gynoecium (the female reproductive part of a flower) where the individual carpels are fused together. This fusion can be complete, where the carpels are indistinguishable, or partial, where the style or stigma may show evidence of the original number of carpels. The opposite of a gamogyne is an apocarpous gynoecium, where the carpels are free and distinct from each other. The term is important in floral morphology and plant taxonomy for describing and classifying different types of flowers. Gamogyny is a common feature in many angiosperm families.