1. Vegetative Propagation Saturday, 23 June 2018
Learning question: What are the different ways that plants reproduce asexually?

2. Learning objectives
Describe methods of vegetative reproduction including runners, tubers, bulbs, underground stems, root suckers and tap roots

3. Key words:
Vegetative propagation
Tubers
Runners
Bulbs
Asexual reproduction

5. Vegetative Propagation
“Vegetative propagation” means the ways that plants can make copies of themselves without making seeds
Gardeners use vegetative propagation to increase the numbers of a plant
Propagated plants have identical characteristics to the “parent” plant – they are genetic copies

6. Types of vegetative propagation
Vegetative propagation can be natural - the plant will make copies of itself using structures like bulbs.
Or vegetative propagation might be artificial - gardeners can make new plants in a way that the plant is unable to do naturally - for example, taking cuttings.
Daffodil bulbs

7. Natural vegetative propagation - bulbs
Bulbs are leaf bases, swollen with food and are called food storage organs
The leaves may die back each winter, but the bulbs will grow into new plants the following spring
The bulbs may make daughter bulbs - so each year, more plants may grow.
Daffodil bulbs. The plant on the right has grown a daughter bulb.

8. Natural vegetative propagation - tubers
Tubers are underground stems or roots that are swollen with food, so are also food storage organs
Each tuber can grow into another plant the next year, using food stored in the tuber to start it off
New potato plant growing from one of last year’s tubers. New tubers will form on underground stems.

9. Leaf edge plantlets
This Mexican hat plant has produced plantlets at the edge of its leaves. They will drop off, grow roots and grow into new plants.

10. Quick Questions
Name two food storage organs that are natural plant propagation structures
What kind of food storage organ does a potato plant produce?
What kind of food storage organ is an onion?
What method of propagation is used by the Mexican hat plant?

11. Answers
Bulbs and tubers
Tuber
Bulb
Leaf edge plantlet

12. Attached Offspring

13. Introduction
There are many different forms in which plants can copy themselves by natural vegetative propagation
Examples we have looked at are:
Mexican hat plants
potatoes
Daffodil bulbs
onions

14. Other Examples
Some plants produce tiny little plants called plantlets which are joined on to the parent as they develop and grow
e.g. Mother of thousands
Spider plant

15. Runners and Offsets
Other natural plant propagation structures are runners and offsets
A runner is a horizontal stem with plantlets at intervals along its stem. A good example of a runner is the spider plant
Offsets are small plantlets produced as a side shoot at the base of the parent plant

16. Runners Spider plants and mother of thousand produce runners
These are long horizontal stems with little plants at the end
They can be pegged down in a pot and left attached to the parent until the roots grow
After roots grow, the long stem can be cut and a new independent plant can be produced

17. Mexican hat plant with
plantlets at the leaf edges
Spider plant with plantlets
on the end of runners

18. Growing Plants from Offsets
An offset is a tiny plantlet that develops as a side shoot at the base of the parent plant. They are often found in cactus type plants.
Sometimes several different offsets are produced and form a clump at the base of the parent plant

19. Offsets

21. Label the type of plantlet being removed from the parent plant

22. Review task
Make a summary mind map of the different types of vegetative propagation structures.
You can do this using online mind map software, or you can do this on paper (
Your summary should include:
Definition of vegetative propagation
Examples of how different plants do this
Clear diagrams to show how these different types of propagation work