Apomixis, the clonal formation of seeds, is a rare yet widely distributed trait in flowering plants. We have isolated the PARTHENOGENESIS(PAR) gene from apomictic dandelion that triggers embryo development in unfertilized egg cells. PARencodes a K2-2 zinc finger, EAR-domain protein. Unlike the recessive sexual alleles, the dominant PARallele is expressed in egg cells and has a miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE) transposon insertion in the promoter. The MITE-containing promoter can invoke a homologous gene from sexual lettuce to complement dandelion LOSS OF PARTHENOGENESISmutants. A similar MITE is also present in the promoter of the PARgene in apomictic forms of hawkweed, suggesting a case of parallel evolution. Heterologous expression of dandelion PARin lettuce egg cells induced haploid embryo-like structures in the absence of fertilization. Sexual PARalleles are expressed in pollen, suggesting that the gene product releases a block on embryogenesis after fertilization in sexual species while in apomictic species PARexpression triggers embryogenesis in the absence of fertilization.