The aim of this study is to determine the programmed cell death hallmarks in the stigmatic papillae of Brassica oleracea L. The flower development was divided in two main stages; pre-anthesis and post-anthesis. Programmed cell death hallmarks were examined in parallel to these stages. At pre-anthesis, the stigmatic papillae were ovoid and their dense cytoplasm were rich in insoluble polysaccharide and protein. At post-anthesis, vacuolization and enlargement were quite evident in papillae. Besides, the protein content decreased, but reactive oxygen species increased in comparison to the pre-anthesis stage. Although no significant change in superoxide dismutase activity was detected, catalase activity decreased and hydrogen peroxide content increased at post-anthesis. DAPI stained nuclei appeared rounded and smooth appearance at pre-anthesis, however, some invaginations and fragmentation in nuclei were observed at post-anthesis. Although, TUNEL staining was negative at pre-anthesis, while TUNEL positive reaction was significant in the nuclei of papillae at post-anthesis. In comparison to the pre-anthesis, the number of fragmented nuclei monitored by DAPI and TUNEL staining increased at post-anthesis.