nyctinasticadj.
/ˌnɪktᵻˈnastɪk/, U.S. /ˌnɪktəˈnæstɪk/ Botany.
Of the nature of or exhibiting nyctinasty.
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the world > plants > part of plant > growth, movement, or curvature of parts > [adjective] > nastic
nastic1906
nyctinastic1906
seismonastic1912
thermonastic1936
1906 A. J. Ewart tr. W. Pfeffer Physiol. Plants III. ii. 97 Since the term ‘tropism’ is reserved for curvatures produced by unilateral stimuli, it becomes necessary to change the term ‘nyctitropic’ used by Darwin..into that of ‘nyctinastic’.
1941 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 28 253/2 The growing zone at the stem end of the petiole is not concerned in the nyctinastic movement.
1976 P. Bell & D. Coombe tr. Strasburger's Textbk. Bot. (new ed.) 375 The fact that the rhythmical movements of the leaves coincide with the diurnal cycle immediately suggests that nyctinastic movements are induced from outside, and are therefore photonastic or possibly thermonastic in nature.
1995 Phytochemistry 40 1379/2 One of the strategies of this plant to avoid solar radiation..and high temperature is to activate the petiole pulvinus, causing a nyctinastic movement of the leaves (pinna) and folioles (pinnule).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1906