During this time, Mendel observed seven different characteristics in the pea plants, and each of these characteristics had two forms (Figure 3). The characteristics included height (tall or short), pod shape (inflated or constricted), seed shape (smooth or winkled), pea color (green or yellow), and so on. When a tall and short plant are crossed, all of the offspring are tall. If the offspring self-fertilize, they produce tall and short plants in a ratio of 3:1 in the next generation. Mendel's actual counts were 787 tall:277 short plants in this generation (2.84:1 ratio).