Apomixis

[George R. Stilwell, Jr.]

>Hi All,
>
>Even if selfed with protection (preventing the intrusion of foreign
>pollen), the resulting seedlings will not be clones. Some plants produce
>seed without actual fertilization, through a process called pseudogamous
>apomixis, which is a specialized form of vegetative reproduction referred
>to as agamospermy. This process, often mistaken for "self-pollination,''
>initiates seed production by diffusing growth substances from its own or
>foreign pollen and proceeds without the usual chromosome cycle of
>reduction divisions and fertilization. In other words the hormones in the
>pollen stimulate the ova to produce seed, which lacks any of the genetic
>material of the stimulant pollen since it bypasses fertilization. The
>resulting seedlings are true clones of the mother plant and mirror the
>mother plants genes. One example is Hosta ventricosa but there are others.
>I have not heard nor read of agamospermy in Araceae. Perhaps our experts
>can elucidate on this. George
>
>
George

I seem to recall a discussion about apomixis on Arisaema-L at sometime in
the past, and a look a the archives turned up the following series of
postings: see

https://listserv.surfnet.nl/scripts/wa.cgi?A2=ind9703&L=ARISAEMA-L&P=R512&I=-3

If anything significant has surfaced since then, I'm not aware of it.

Jim



Jim McClements
50 S. Prestwick Ct.
Dover, Delaware 19904, USA
Zone 7a
302-734-2836


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