An underground stem that can produce new plants from the nodes is called what?

An underground stem that can produce new plants from the nodes is called what?

• A. Rhizome
• B. Root
• C. Bulb
• D. Stolon

Answer: (A)

Underground horizontal stems that spread a plant and can produce new shoots from their nodes enable vegetative propagation, and the term for this structure is a rhizome. A rhizome stores energy and grows laterally beneath the soil, sending out roots and new shoots at its nodes, which lets the plant increase its population without seeds. This is different from a root, which mainly anchors the plant and takes up water and nutrients; a bulb, formed from compressed leaves and a short stem, serves primarily as storage and a growth point; and a stolon, while also a horizontal stem, usually grows above ground and sends out new plants at its ends. So the defining feature here—the underground, spreading stem that can generate new plants from nodes—points to a rhizome.

Underground horizontal stems that spread a plant and can produce new shoots from their nodes enable vegetative propagation, and the term for this structure is a rhizome. A rhizome stores energy and grows laterally beneath the soil, sending out roots and new shoots at its nodes, which lets the plant increase its population without seeds. This is different from a root, which mainly anchors the plant and takes up water and nutrients; a bulb, formed from compressed leaves and a short stem, serves primarily as storage and a growth point; and a stolon, while also a horizontal stem, usually grows above ground and sends out new plants at its ends. So the defining feature here—the underground, spreading stem that can generate new plants from nodes—points to a rhizome.