Mosaic Endosperm - Variants of Endosperm

In some plants patches of two different colors appear in the tissues of the endosperm providing a mosaic design. In maize, red and white patches of tissues are sometimes seen in the grain. The occurrence of such endosperm has also been reported in Petunia, Lycopersicon and Acorus etc.

Several theories have been advanced to explain the development of mosaic endosperm but none of these has been cytologically demonstrated. The most appealing explanation for the development of such endosperm is said to be the aberrant behavior of the chromosomes during mitosis or somatic mutations.