User Contributed Dictionary
Noun
polyembryony- The production of two or more embryos in one seed, due either to the existence and fertilization of more than one embryonic sac or to the origination of embryos outside of the embryonic sac.
References
Extensive Definition
Polyembryony is the phenomenon of two or more
embryos developing from a
single fertilized egg (in humans, identical
twins). Polyembryony occurs regularly in many plants and
animals.The nine
banded armadillo, for instance usually gives birth to four
identical young. Polyembryony is best known among parasitic insects
of the order Hymenoptera,
Encyrtidae,
Dryinidae,
Platygasteridae
and Braconidae. The
term is also used in botany to describe the phenomenon
of two seedlings emerging from one seed.