Knee bones and ligaments. Illustration of a frontal view of the knee joint, showing bones, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. The bones are the femur (thigh bone, top), patella (knee-cap, lifted up at upper right), and the lower leg bones, the tibia (lower centre) and the fibula (lower left). The quadriceps femoris muscle tendon passes over the patella, becoming the patellar ligament that attaches to the tibia. The fibular collateral ligament (centre) joins the femur and fibula. Other ligaments join the femur and tibia. The menisci (grey) are cartilage pads cushioning the joint.