Crossword-Solution: EPINASTY 8 letters, 2 clues 🏆 scrabble score: 13

The term epinasty is now often used in Germany, and implies that the upper surface of an organ grows more quickly than the lower surface, and thus causes it to bend downwards.

The term epinasty is used by De Vries[2] to express greater longitudinal growth along the upper than along the lower side of a part, which is thus caused to bend downwards; and hyponasty is used for the reversed process, by which the part is made to bend upwards.

The movements thus induced result from a modified form of circumnutation; for, as we shall immediately see, an organ under the influence of epinasty does not generally move in a straight line downwards, or under that of hyponasty upwards, but oscillates up and down with some lateral movement: it moves, however, in a preponderant manner in one direction.

This shows that there is some growth on all sides of the part, but more on the upper side in the case of epinasty, and more on the lower side in that of hyponasty, than on the other sides.

One of the commonest and simplest cases of epinasty is that offered by leaves, which at an early age are crowded together round the buds, and diverge as they grow older.