CHAPTER IV 



PROPAGATION BY MEANS OF ROOTS AND STEMS 



48. The primary office of roots and stems is to support 

 and maintain the plant; but these parts may also serve to 

 propagate the plant, or to produce new individuals. 



49. PROPAGATION BY MEANS OF RHIZOMES. One office 

 of subterranean stems or rhizomes is to propagate the plant. 

 Each stem has a bud at its end, and from this bud a 

 shoot arises. By the dying away of the older part of 

 the rhizome, this shoot becomes a separate plant, although 

 the rhizome maintains its connection for years in some 

 plants. Shoots may also arise from the intermediate or 



lateral buds, but the strongest shoots usually 

 arise from the end or near the end of the 

 rhizome. Fig. 23. 



50. Each successive plant is farther re- 

 moved from the original plant or the start- 

 ing-point of the colony. Thus the colony 

 or "patch" grows larger. Familiar examples 

 are the spreading patches of mandrakes or 

 May apples, quack -grass, Solomon's seal, 

 lily -of -the -valley, ferns. Cannas propagate 

 by means of rhizomes ; so does ginger, and 

 the "roots" can be purchased at the drug 

 store. Fig. 27 illustrates the spread of a 

 colony of wild sunflower. On the right the 

 rhizomes have died away : 

 note the frayed ends. On 

 the left, the strong up- turned 



27. Creeping rhizomes of wild sunflower. buds show where the shoots 



(19) 



