A modified stem that creeps horizontally along the soil surface is called a ...

A modified stem that creeps horizontally along the soil surface is called a ...

• A. Stolon
• B. Rhizome
• C. Tiller
• D. Culm

Answer: (A)

Stolons are modified stems that run along the soil surface, helping a plant spread and form new individuals at points where they root. This above-ground creeping habit distinguishes stolons from rhizomes, which stay underground and spread laterally, and from tillers, which are new shoots that arise from the base of the plant, not along a above-ground runner. The culm is simply the main stem of a grass, not a spreading stalk. In turf grasses like bermudagrass and creeping grasses, stolons enable rapid horizontal spread across the surface, producing new plants at the nodes.

Stolons are modified stems that run along the soil surface, helping a plant spread and form new individuals at points where they root. This above-ground creeping habit distinguishes stolons from rhizomes, which stay underground and spread laterally, and from tillers, which are new shoots that arise from the base of the plant, not along a above-ground runner. The culm is simply the main stem of a grass, not a spreading stalk. In turf grasses like bermudagrass and creeping grasses, stolons enable rapid horizontal spread across the surface, producing new plants at the nodes.