What Does “× Self” Actually Mean?

In Anthurium collector and breeder terminology, × self means that a plant has been pollinated with pollen from that same plant.

Instead of crossing two different plants, the breeder uses the plant's own pollen to fertilise its flowers.

The resulting seeds are therefore the offspring of one parent, but they are still produced through sexual reproduction.

This is why a listing such as Anthurium crystallinum × self tells you something important about the breeding history, but it does not promise that every seedling will look exactly like the original plant.

If you want to understand how this differs from crossing two different Anthuriums, our guide to Anthurium hybrid genetics and why hybrid seedlings can vary goes deeper into how sexual reproduction creates different genetic combinations.

Plant × Itself → Selfed → S1

Let's follow the process from the beginning.

Why Aren't S1 Seedlings Clones?

This is one of the most important concepts to understand when buying or growing Anthurium seedlings.

A clone is produced through vegetative propagation. A cutting, division or tissue-culture plant is produced from existing plant tissue and is intended to retain the genotype of the original individual.

An S1 seedling is different because it is produced through sexual reproduction.

This distinction becomes particularly important when a breeder selects one exceptional seedling and propagates it. Our guide to what a selected clone actually means in Anthuriums explains why a named or selected clone represents one particular individual rather than an entire seed population.

Selfing Still Creates Genetic Variation

It is easy to think that because an S1 has only one parent, every seedling should be a miniature genetic copy of that parent.

That is not how sexual reproduction works.

During meiosis, chromosomes are separated and genetic material is reshuffled. The resulting pollen and ovules contain different combinations of the parent's genetic material.

When those gametes combine, the resulting seedlings can therefore inherit different combinations of alleles from the same parent.

That is why an S1 batch can contain seedlings that differ in characteristics such as:

• Leaf shape and proportions
• Vein expression
• Colour and pigmentation
• Texture and surface appearance
• Growth habit
• Petiole characteristics
• Other inherited traits

This is also why seedlings from a single breeding event should not automatically be expected to develop identically. If you want to explore that specific situation, read why Anthurium seedlings from the same cross can look completely different.

Why Selfing Can Reveal Hidden Traits

Selfing can also be useful because it increases the chance of bringing recessive traits together.

A parent can carry a recessive allele without visibly expressing the corresponding trait. When the plant is selfed, some offspring can inherit two copies of that recessive allele and express the trait.

This is one reason breeders use selfing as a tool for understanding what is genetically present within a plant.

In Anthuriums, this can contribute to interesting variation between seedlings even when every seed in the batch came from the same mother plant.

Exactly. That is part of what makes growing seedlings so interesting. The parent gives you the genetic starting point, but each seedling represents its own genetic combination.

What Happens When You Self an S1?

This is where the numbering begins to make more sense.

Imagine you germinate 100 S1 seedlings from one Anthurium. You grow them, select one exceptional individual, and eventually use that particular S1 plant as the parent for another self-pollination.

You have now completed another round of selfing.

The resulting seeds are called S2.

The number refers to the number of generations of selfing in that lineage.

For a fuller explanation of how breeding generations such as F1, F2, S1 and S2 relate to one another, see our guide to Anthurium F1, F2, S1 and S2 breeding generations.

S1 → S2 → S3: What Changes?

Repeated selfing generally increases homozygosity within a lineage. In simple terms, repeated selfing makes it more likely that the two copies of a gene are the same at many loci.

This can help breeders identify and eventually fix certain traits within a line.

However, it is important not to interpret S2 or S3 as meaning “all plants will now look identical.” Real plants contain many genes, and traits are often influenced by multiple genes and by growing conditions.

With repeated selfing, genetic variation within a particular line may become narrower as more alleles become homozygous, but selection still matters. Breeders can choose which individual from each generation becomes the parent of the next generation.

Selfing and Selection Are Not the Same Thing

This distinction is especially useful when reading serious breeding projects.

Selfing describes the method of reproduction: the plant is pollinated with its own pollen.

Selection describes which offspring the breeder chooses to continue the line.

For example, a breeder might produce a large S1 population and find one seedling with exceptional leaf shape and another with particularly strong venation.

If the breeder self-pollinates the exceptional seedling and grows its offspring, that new population is S2 from that selected S1 individual.

Selection can also be part of other breeding strategies. For example, a breeder may cross a selected plant back to one of its parents rather than selfing it. You can read more about what a backcross means in Anthurium breeding.

The Most Common Mistake: “My S1 Became an S2”

No — not through cloning.

This is probably one of the most important things for collectors to understand when reading Anthurium listings.

Suppose you purchase an exceptional S1 Anthurium seedling.

You take a cutting from that plant, or propagate it through tissue culture, and produce several genetically equivalent plants.

You now have multiple copies of that original S1 individual.

They are still S1.

Why a Cutting From an S1 Is Still S1

Generation numbers describe the sexual breeding history of a plant's lineage.

A cutting does not involve meiosis, pollination or the production of a new seed generation.

It simply creates another plant from existing tissue.

An Easy Example

Imagine a breeder has an exceptional Anthurium called Plant A.

What Does “S1 Selfed Seedling” Mean in a Listing?

If you see a listing described as an “S1 selfed seedling,” the seller is generally telling you two important things.

1. The seed came from a plant that was self-pollinated.
2. The plant you are buying is a seedling from that first selfed generation.

It does not mean that the plant is a clone of the parent.

Likewise, a listing such as “Anthurium crystallinum × self S1” indicates a selfing event involving that plant and that the resulting offspring belong to the S1 generation.

The exact terminology used by breeders and sellers can vary, so when purchasing expensive material it is always worth asking for the breeding history if it is important to your collection.

Why S1 Seedlings Can Look So Different

This is where the terminology connects directly to what collectors see in real life.

You can grow several seedlings from the same selfed seed batch and discover that they develop quite differently.

One might develop broader leaves. Another may have stronger venation. Another may have a different shape, texture or overall growth habit.

That variation is not necessarily evidence that the seeds were mixed.

It can simply reflect the genetic variation created through sexual reproduction.

This is one of the reasons seed-grown Anthuriums are so fascinating. A selfed batch allows you to explore the genetic variation hidden within a single plant.

And remember that what you see on a young plant is not always its final appearance. Leaf shape can change considerably as Anthuriums mature, so our guide to why Anthurium leaves change shape as they mature is a useful companion for collectors evaluating seedlings.

Why Breeders Use S1, S2 and S3 Lines

Selfing can be a useful breeding tool because it helps breeders explore and select traits within a genetic line.

• Reveal variation: recessive traits can become visible in offspring.
• Select individuals: breeders can identify exceptional seedlings.
• Increase homozygosity: repeated selfing makes more gene pairs homozygous over generations.
• Build lines: selected individuals can be selfed repeatedly to work toward greater genetic consistency.
• Preserve interesting genetics: once an exceptional individual is found, it can be cloned while the breeding line continues separately.

The result can be a fascinating combination of selection, selfing and cloning — three processes that do very different things.

Selfed Seedling vs Clone vs Hybrid

These terms describe different things, and understanding the difference makes Anthurium listings much easier to read.

If you are deciding whether a seedling or clone makes more sense for your collection, our guide to Anthurium seedlings vs clones covers the collector-side differences in more detail.

Does S2 Mean “Better” Than S1?

Not necessarily.

An S2 is simply a plant from a second generation of selfing in that lineage. The generation number does not automatically tell you that the plant is more attractive, stronger, rarer or genetically superior.

What matters is which individual was selected to produce the next generation and what traits the breeder was attempting to work with.

An exceptional S1 can be far more desirable than an ordinary S3.

Likewise, a carefully selected S3 line may offer breeders a level of consistency that they could not obtain from the original S1 population.

What Collectors Should Look For

If you are buying an Anthurium described as selfed, ask yourself what information actually matters for the plant you are considering.

The Collector's Shortcut

If all the terminology starts to blur together, remember one simple rule:

So if an S1 plant is cloned ten times, you still have ten vegetative copies of an S1 individual.

If that S1 individual is self-pollinated and produces seeds, those seeds are S2.

That distinction alone will save you a lot of confusion when reading Anthurium breeding projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Educational content for Anthurium collectors and growers. Breeding terminology can vary between breeders, so when purchasing valuable genetic material, always ask for the documented parentage and propagation history where available.