This is what I love about this list! While following the discussion about John's mystery, I realized I didn't know this word. *apomixis* (āp'ə-mĭk'sĭs) 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. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary We now have yet another possibility to consider. Are John's seeds clones or self pollinated? Dave B in Cold, Dry Tumwater, Washington -USA-