Alpinia purpurata

– This is seen in some grasses, Onion, Lilly etc.

– I can use them to show to my students. It is a type of vegetative propagation where the propagules are formed on the inflorescence axis along with flowers. If I am not mistaken each plantlet is arising at the axil of the red bract. Do they form roots too? I have seen it in Chlorophytum. I am not sure if it is true vivipary; vivipary is germination of a seed while still on the mother plant.

– This is interesting. As per definations- some plants produce seeds that undergo no dormancy. The growth while the seed and fruit are still on the plant is termed vivipary. Another defination says True vivipary, the
germination of seed before dispersal is relatively rare ( as in mangrove species), in contrast to false vivipary (prolification) which represents a development of rooting vegetative buds instead of flowers. Could this be a
case false vivipary?

– You have got it right. Many plants develop bulbils in place of flowers. Top onion, a pseudodiploid can survive only because of this so called vivipary, and infact it was  earlier named as *Allium* *cepa* var. *viviparum.*

– To me, this is not vivipary unless this happens all the time in the plant. Which is clearly not the case here.
This has happened just because somehow seeds got stuck and germinated due to availability of moisture.
True vivipary is a compulsory habit in a particular plant, where there is no other means liek that of Mangrove shrubs or trees. This is not even bulbil. Bulbil is also a unique character.