# Pistil

> The female reproductive organ of a flower (ovary, style and stigmas); in cannabis growers loosely call the visible white stigmas "pistils".

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pistil.html
- Also written: pistils, hairs, pistillate organ, gynoecium, female hairs
- Glossary category: Plant biology · Evidence: Grower practice
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

A pistil is the female part of a flower: the ovary holding the ovule, a short style, and [stigmas](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stigma.md) that catch pollen. Each female cannabis flower has a single ovary inside its [bract](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bract.md), topped by two long, hair-like stigmas. Strictly, the white or orange "hairs" growers see are the stigmas, not the whole pistil.

## In practice

"Pistils" is how growers spot a female. The first paired white hairs at a node mark a pistillate [pre-flower](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pre-flower.md). In flower, masses of fresh white stigmas mean active growth; as flowers age the stigmas darken through orange, red or brown and curl back.

Pistil colour is a weak harvest guide. Stigmas also brown from heat, handling, low humidity or pollination, and cultivars differ. [Trichome heads](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/trichome-heads.md) are the better clock.

## Don't confuse with

- **Stigma**: the pollen-receiving tip, the hair itself.
- **Bract**: the sheath around the ovary, often miscalled the [calyx](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/calyx.md).
- **Stamen**: the male organ ([anther](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/anther.md) on a filament).

## Myth check

"Harvest when 70-90% of pistils are brown" is a rough rule, not a reliable indicator (Grower practice). GenetixBay uses [trichomes](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/trichome.md): a few clear, mostly cloudy, some amber, to taste. See [trichome ripeness](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/harvest-cure/trichome-ripeness.md).

## Related terms

[Stigma](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stigma.md), [Bract](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bract.md), [Calyx](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/calyx.md), [Pistillate flower](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pistillate-flower.md), [Pre-flower](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pre-flower.md)

## Read more

- [Male, female and hermaphrodite cannabis: how sex works](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/basics/sex-male-female-hermaphrodite.md)
- [Trichome ripeness: clear, cloudy, amber, and what the evidence says](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/harvest-cure/trichome-ripeness.md)

## Sources

1. Spitzer-Rimon B, Duchin S, Bernstein N, Kamenetsky R. 2019. Architecture and florogenesis in female Cannabis sativa plants. Frontiers in Plant Science 10:350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00350