What does vivipary mean?
Vivipary is the botanical condition in which a seed begins to germinate and develop while it is still attached to the parent plant. Rather than remaining dormant after dispersal, the seed forms a young seedling that may later become independent. This reproductive strategy is associated with particular environments and plant species, including examples found among mangroves and desert plants. The term has a broader zoological use as well: in contrast to oviparity, vivipary means producing offspring that develop within the mother's body rather than as eggs laid externally. Vivipary is primarily encountered in scientific and educational contexts, especially discussions of plant reproduction and adaptation. It is a useful word because it identifies a distinctive reproductive condition in which the usual separation between germination and dispersal is reversed. The related term ovovivipary describes a narrower form of internal development in which retained eggs hatch inside the parent, but the offspring continue to derive nourishment from yolk rather than directly from the mother.
nounIn botany, the condition in which a seed germinates and develops into a seedling while still attached to its parent plant. More generally in zoology, the production of offspring that develop within the mother's body rather than being laid as eggs.
- Botany: the condition in which a seed germinates while still attached to the parent plant and develops into a seedling.
- Zoology: the production of offspring that develop inside the mother's body.
"Some desert plants exhibit vivipary, allowing their seeds to germinate while still attached to the parent."
"Seed vivipary occurs in certain mangrove species, whose seedlings can develop while the fruit remains attached to the tree."
"In some fishes, vivipary allows the young to develop inside the mother before being born."
The plural is grammatical but uncommon because the word is normally used as a mass noun or in the singular when describing a reproductive condition.
"The article describes viviparies in several coastal plant species."
Some seeds begin life on the parent plant, germinating before they ever touch the soil.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vivipary
Vivipary comes from Latin vīvus, meaning “alive,” and parēre, meaning “to bring forth” or “to produce,” together with an English noun-forming ending. The same Latin foundation produced viviparous and viviparity, which retain the idea of producing living offspring. In botanical usage, the term developed specifically for the germination of seeds while they remain attached to the parent plant.
Related word forms
How vivipary is actually used
Vivipary is chiefly a formal scientific term used in botany and zoology. In botanical writing it normally refers to seed germination on the parent plant; the zoological sense is less common and is more often expressed as viviparity.
Easily confused with vivipary
In ovovivipary, offspring develop from eggs retained inside the parent, whereas in vivipary the developing offspring receive direct nourishment from the mother.