cleistogamous

[klahy-stog-uh-muh s]

adjective Botany.

pertaining to or having pollination occurring in unopened flowers.

Also cleis·to·gam·ic

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

Origin of cleistogamous

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

Related formscleis·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

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British Dictionary definitions for cleistogamy

cleistogamy

noun

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

Derived Formscleistogamous 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

cleistogamy in Science

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.