text: It usually comes through the maternal line (the 'mother') in plants too. \n\nYou may not realise it but plant have mothers and fathers just like animals. The pollen represents the 'father' plant, the ovaries representing the mother plant are concealed within the flower. The seeds that give rise to new plants develop from a combination of the pollen and ovaries. Thus plants have fathers and mothers.\n\nThe idea that mitochondria come from the mother isn't entirely correct even for animals. Mitochondria usually come from the mother, but they sometimes come from the father, and occasionally from both parents. Plants are much the same, but it is even more common to find plants with paternal mitochondria.