) They behave in this manner, apparently as a
protection to their pollen, and produce open flowers when exposed to the air; so
that these cases seem rather different from those of true cleistogamic flowers,
and have not been included in the list. Again, the flowers of some plants which
are produced very early or very late in the season do not properly expand; and
these might perhaps be considered as incipiently cleistogamic; but as they do
not present any of the remarkable peculiarities proper to the class, and as I
have not found any full record of such cases, they are not entered in the list.
When, however, it is believed on fairly good evidence that the flowers on a
plant in its native country do not open at any hour of the day or night, and yet
set seeds capable of germination, these may fairly be considered as
cleistogamic, notwithstanding that they present no peculiarities of structure. I
will now give as complete a list of the genera containing cleistogamic species
as I have been able to collect.
TABLE 8.38. List of genera including cleistogamic species (chiefly after Kuhn).
(8/3. I have omitted Trifolium and Arachis from the list, because Von Mohl says
'Botanische Zeitung' 1863 page 312, that the flower-stems merely draw the
flowers beneath the ground, and that these do not appear to be properly
cleistogamic.
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