cleistogamous

[ klahy-stog-uh-muh s ]

/ klaɪˈstɒg ə məs /

adjective Botany.

pertaining to or having pollination occurring in unopened flowers.

Nearby words

cleidoic egg, cleisthenes, cleisto-, cleistocarp, cleistocarpous, cleistogamous, cleistogamy, cleistothecium, cleland, clem, clemastine fumarate

Also cleis·to·gam·ic

[klahy-stuh-gam-ik] /ˌklaɪ stəˈgæm ɪk/.

Compare chasmogamous.

Origin of cleistogamous

First recorded in 1880–85; cleisto- + -gamous

Related forms

cleis·tog·a·mous·ly, cleis·to·gam·i·cal·ly, adverbcleis·tog·a·my, nounnon·cleis·to·gam·ic, adjectivenon·cleis·tog·a·mous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cleistogamy

cleistogamy

/ (klaɪˈstɒɡəmɪ) /

noun

self-pollination and fertilization of an unopened flower, as in the flowers of the violet produced in summerCompare chasmogamy

Derived Forms

cleistogamous or cleistogamic (ˌklaɪstəˈɡæmɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for cleistogamy

cleistogamous

[ klī-stŏg′ə-məs ]

Of or relating to a flower that does not open and is self-pollinated in the bud. The fertile flowers of the violet are inconspicuous and cleistogamous, while the plant's more familiar showy flowers are usually infertile.