Epigyny

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A botanical characteristic refers to the positioning of the ovary that is located above the points of attachment for other parts of the flower structure
2. This term denotes a feature in botany where the ovary is placed above the connection points of various floral components
3. The condition in plants where the ovary sits above the attachment sites of petals, sepals, and stamens

Etymology: Epigyny is a botanical term for a flower whose ovary sits above the point where the petals and other floral parts attach, so those parts appear to grow from the top of the ovary. The word is built from Greek "epi," meaning "upon" or "above," and "gyne," meaning "woman" or, in botany, "pistil" or female organ. Its sense is literal: the flower's female structure is positioned above the other parts. The term belongs to the vocabulary of plant morphology, the classification of flower structures, and it works alongside its opposites, "hypogyny," where the ovary sits below the other parts, and "perigyny," where they surround it. These three words describe the same spatial relationship from different positions, so botanists can classify a flower by a single comparison. Many familiar plants show epigyny, including members of the daisy family and the orchid family.