Vegetative Reproduction

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Vegetative Reproduction, method by which plants reproduce asexually—that is, without the union of cells or nuclei of cells—thus producing individuals that are genetically identical to the parent. Vegetative reproduction takes place either by fragmentation or by special asexual structures. Parts of liverworts and mosses fragment from the parent and grow into new individuals, as do plant cuttings. Asexual structures in plants include specialized stems such as tubers, stolons (runners), rhizomes, and corms, and specialized buds such as bulbs. Roots and leaves can also give rise to new plants. Thus, new individuals generate, for example, from the eyes of potatoes, the cloves of garlic bulbs, and the stolons of strawberry plants. See also Plant; Plant Propagation.

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