What does apomixes mean?
Apomixes is the plural of apomixis, a botanical term describing asexual reproduction in which seeds form without fertilization. In plants that reproduce this way, the embryo develops directly from maternal tissue or an unreduced egg cell, so each seedling is genetically identical to its parent. Familiar examples include many dandelions, blackberries, and certain grasses and citrus species. Botanists distinguish obligate apomixes, where a plant reproduces only asexually, from facultative apomixes, where sexual and asexual reproduction occur side by side. The word derives from Greek roots meaning 'away from' and 'mingling', literally signaling reproduction without the mixing of genes. Because apomixes can fix superior hybrid combinations indefinitely, they are of keen interest to plant breeders, who hope to harness them to lock desirable traits into crop varieties. The term appears almost exclusively in scientific literature on plant reproductive biology and evolution.
nounThe plural of apomixis: instances or types of asexual reproduction in which seeds or embryos develop without fertilization, so offspring are genetic clones of the parent.
- Multiple instances or forms of asexual reproduction through seed without fertilization, producing clones of the parent plant.
"Botanists documented several distinct apomixes in the genus Taraxacum, explaining the dandelion's remarkable clonal diversity."
"The grass genus Poa exhibits several apomixes, allowing it to colonize new habitats without pollinators."
"Breeders studying citrus described both obligate and facultative apomixes within a single species."
This is already the plural form; the singular is apomixis.
"Several distinct apomixes were observed among the Citrus cultivars studied."
Dandelions skip sex entirely — they produce seeds by apomixis, meaning every golden flower is essentially a clone of its parent.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of apomixes
The word comes from Modern Latin, built on Greek elements: 'apo-' meaning 'away from' or 'without', and 'mixis' meaning 'mingling' or 'union' — hence reproduction without the union of gametes. It was coined in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century as botanists formalized the study of asexual seed formation. It shares its Greek roots with related terms such as apogamy, apospory, and amphimixis, the latter denoting ordinary sexual fusion of gametes.
Related word forms
How apomixes is actually used
A technical term confined to botany and reproductive biology; almost always encountered in academic writing rather than everyday speech. The singular 'apomixis' is far more common than the plural.
Easily confused with apomixes
Apomixis is the singular term for the phenomenon itself, while apomixes is its plural form used when referring to multiple cases or types.
Apoptosis is programmed cell death, whereas apomixes refers to asexual seed formation without fertilization.