A superior ovary is an ovary free from surrounding receptacular tissue, with the perianth and stamens inserted below it or on the rim of a surrounding hypanthium. “Superior” specifies an anatomical relationship within a flower, rather than a location high on the plant.[ref]
Glossary of Botanical Terms by PlantNET. Entry superior and Figure12A,D: hypogynous attachment and a free ovary in a perigynous cup; plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?glossary=yes&ill=Fig.+12+A+YY+D&page=nswfl&term=superior
Compare two longitudinal sections. In one, the ovary stands above the insertion of the other floral parts. In another, it stands inside a cup-shaped hypanthium, whose rim supports those parts. Both can contain a superior ovary if the cup is free from the ovary wall.
The useful diagnostic is therefore to trace boundaries and points of attachment. A deeply surrounding cup and a deeply embedded inferior ovary may have similar outer outlines while representing different arrangements. Their developmental relationship, rather than the apparent height of the tip, determines the classification.
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