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A bit late in revisiting this, but as a result of this discussion and Wordreader's experiment (thanks!) I've clarified the following:
""open hand"" form -> ""open hand"" appearance when ripe 
""closed hand"" form -> ""closed hand"" appearance when unripe
I think that the benefit of this is that it uses the more precise word ""appearance"" and clarifies the reason for the differing appearance. -  "