cryptochrome
/ˈkrɪptə(ʊ)krəʊm/Biochemistry
noun
1A carotenoid pigment found in plants which is sensitive to blue light. Now rare.
- Cryptochrome is an epoxide derivative of cryptoxanthin..
2Any of a group of blue-sensitive photopigments (flavoproteins) which are involved in mediating circadian and seasonal activity in plants.
Origin
1940s (in an earlier sense). From crypto- + -chrome, after German Kryptochrom.