epigynous

American  

[ih-pij-uh-nuhs] / ɪˈpɪdʒ ə nəs /

adjective

Botany.

1. (of flowers) having all floral parts conjoint and generally divergent from the ovary at or near its summit.

2. (of stamens, petals, etc.) having the parts so arranged.

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epigynous British  

/ ɪˈpɪdʒɪnəs /

adjective

1. (of flowers) having the receptacle enclosing and fused with the gynoecium so that the other floral parts arise above it

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epigynous Scientific  

/ ĭ-pĭj′ə-nəs /

1. Having floral parts (such as the petals and stamens) attached to or near the upper part of the ovary, as in the flower of the apple, cucumber, or daffodil.

2. Compare hypogynous perigynous

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Other Word Forms

• epigyny noun

Etymology

Origin of epigynous

First recorded in 1820–30; epi- + -gynous

Example Sentences

In Umbelliferæ the epigynous condition is changed for the perigynous, &c.

From Vegetable Teratology An Account of the Principal Deviations from the Usual Construction of Plants by Masters, Maxwell T.

The plants with hypogynous flowers should, as a rule, have less seed and more vigorous and abundant foliage than those at the other extreme with epigynous flowers.

From Darwinism (1889) by Wallace, Alfred Russel

The flowers are unisexual, and strikingly epigynous, the perianth and stamens being attached to a bell-shaped prolongation of the receptacle above the ovary.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various

But the hypogynous poppies, pinks, and St. John's worts have abundance of seed and rather scanty foliage; while the epigynous dogwoods and honeysuckles have few seeds and abundant foliage.

From Darwinism (1889) by Wallace, Alfred Russel

Ovary inferior, held in the concavity of the receptacle, one-celled, with 1 seed, crowned by an epigynous disc, above which rises a simple style with dilated stigma.

From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Thomas, Jerome Beers