Vivipary is when seeds within a plant or fruit prematurely germinate, growing within the parent plant of fruit. The results are often a horrifying mishmash of an adult plant or fruit with their young sticking out of them. Unsettling at the very least, the plant or fruit is otherwise normal and safe to eat.
Here are some photos of vivipary in plants, and the results are unsettling.
1. Full of sprouts
This person cut open a butternut squash, never expecting to find this inside. This is the last thing anyone would expect to find in this situation, but it’s cool nonetheless.
2. Here comes the sun
Flowers are also known to suffer from vivipary from time to time. This condition is especially visible in sunflowers, which keep their seed front and center, making it more visible when it does happen.
3. Early start
The seeds in this tomato couldn’t wait to get started. So much so that they started growing right through the skin of their parent tomato.
4. Tangerine growing within a tangerine
The lesson should be to take care when biting into a tangerine slice. You could end up hurting yourself if you unknowingly bite into a slice like the one pictured.
5. When a seed is not a seed
While not as common as other plants and fruit, strawberries can also be the subject of vivipary. The seeds of the strawberry actually grow inside the little seed-like specks, called achenes, which dot the outside of the fruit.
6. The bell pepper to end all bell peppers
Too bad you can’t slice the baby bell peppers up and cook them along with their parent. Or maybe you could.
7. Spiky growth
Teasels, also known as Dipsacus plants, are hardy biannuals that grow in gardens around the world. Blooming in the summer, it seems this particular teasel couldn’t wait to break out and make a name for itself.
8. Corn
When corn starts growing out of corn, you know you have some good corn. In fact, you can never have too much corn.
9. Side-splitting
Eggplants, which are more related to berries, sometimes suffer from Vivipary. In this case, the growth inside of the plant was enough to split its sides.
10. An apple a day
You know what they say, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” In this case, I wonder if it is twice as effective since it is technically more than one apple.
11. Tomato sauce
Here is a tomato with the seeds just starting to sprout inside its juicy insides. The question is whether you can still eat it or not. Probably just a simple matter of removing the sprouts.
12. The avocados have it
Who doesn’t love a good avocado? Well, I guess some people don’t. With this avocado, you could plant it and grow more.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Sources: AmusingPlanet, Gardening Know How
