Apomixis–Seen in Hawthorns
Apomixis, or asexual reproduction through seeds, is a natural trait that could have an immense positive impact on crop production.
Although seeds, in general are the products of fertilization, a few flowering plants such as some species of Asteraceae and grasses, have evolved a special mechanism, to produce seeds without fertilization, called apomixis ("away from the act of mixing", because there is no joining of sperm and egg). Apomixis is asexual reproduction without fertilization–developing or producing without sexual union. Apomixis can occur in two ways:
When the embryo arises from unfertilized egg, produced without meiosis, called agamogenesis (which is reproduction without the fusion of gametes); a nucellar embryo is formed from surrounding nucleus tissues. The seeds produced are generally identical to the main plant.
Examples of apomixis are Hawthorns, Shadbush, White beams, Black berries, Dandelions, etc.