A flower or plant that reproduces through cleistogamy, or the seeds produced by such closed-flower self-pollination.
From cleisto- (closed) + -gene (producing, generating). Created as a term to refer specifically to the reproductive structures or products resulting from cleistogamous reproduction.
By naming something a 'cleistogene,' botanists could precisely identify which seeds came from closed flowers versus open ones—important when studying how plants allocate energy between risky outcrossing and reliable self-fertilization.
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