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cleistogamous

[ klahy-stog-uh-muh s ]
/ klaɪˈstɒg ə məs /

adjective Botany.

pertaining to or having pollination occurring in unopened flowers.

Nearby words

  1. cleidoic egg,
  2. cleisthenes,
  3. cleisto-,
  4. cleistocarp,
  5. cleistocarpous,
  6. cleistogamy,
  7. cleistothecium,
  8. cleland,
  9. clem,
  10. 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 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
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 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
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.