cleistocarpous

Or clis·to·car·pous

[klahy-stuh-kahr-puhs]

adjective

1. Mycology.,  having cleistothecia.

2. Botany.,  having a closed capsule, as certain mosses.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cleistocarpous¹

First recorded in 1885–90; cleisto- + -carpous

Example Sentences

These cleistocarpous forms are now recognized as related to various natural groups, in which the majority of the species possess an operculum.

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Such facts as these suggest that in many cases the cleistocarpous condition is the result of reduction rather than primitive, and that possibly the same holds for Archidium.

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