Placentation in Plants
In flowering plants, placentation occurs where the ovules are attached inside the ovary. The ovules inside a flower's ovary (which later become the seeds inside a fruit) are attached via funiculi, the plant part equivalent to an umbilical cord. The part of the ovary where the funiculus attaches is referred to as the placenta.
In botany, the term placentation most commonly refers to the arrangement of placentas inside a flower or fruit. Plant placentation types include:
- Basal placentation: The placenta is at the base (bottom) of the ovary. Simple or compound carpel.
- Apical placentation: The placenta is at the apex (top) of the ovary. Simple or compound carpel.
- Parietal placentation: The placentas are in the ovary wall within a non-sectioned ovary. Compound carpel.
- Axile placentation: The ovary is sectioned by radial spokes with placentas in separate locules. Compound carpel.
- Free or central placentation: The placentas are in a central column within a non-sectioned ovary. Compound carpel.
- Marginal placentation: There is only one elongated placenta on one side of the ovary, as ovules are attached at the fusion line of the Carple's Margins . This is conspicuous in legumes. Simple carpel.
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