apomixis

[ ap-uh-mik-sis ]

noun

, Biology.

, plural ap·o·mix·es [ap-, uh, -, mik, -seez].

1. any of several types of asexual reproduction, as apogamy or parthenogenesis.

apomixis

/ ˌæpəˈmɪksɪs /

noun

1. See amphimixis
   (esp in plants) any of several types of asexual reproduction, such as parthenogenesis and apogamy, in which fertilization does not take place Compare amphimixis

apomixis

/ ăp′ə-mĭk′sĭs /

1. The development of an embryo without the occurrence of fertilization. Parthenogenesis is one form of apomixis. In plants, another form of apomixis also occurs, in which the embryo develops from the somatic cells of the ovule surrounding the embryo sac, not from the egg cell within the embryo sac itself. Such embryos are clones of the parent plant, and valuable cultivars of plants such as the fig are propagated using seeds produced through this kind of apomixis.

Derived Forms

• ˌapoˈmictic, adjective

Other Words From

• ap·o·mic·tic [ap-, uh, -, mik, -tik], apo·micti·cal adjective
• apo·micti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of apomixis¹

1910–15; < New Latin < Greek apo- apo- + míxis a mixing, equivalent to mig ( nýnai ) to mix + -sis -sis

Word History and Origins

Origin of apomixis¹

C20: New Latin, from Greek apo- + mixis a mixing