Stolons

Stolons, also known as runners in botany, are slender, horizontal stems that grow at or just above the soil surface. They extend from the parent plant and produce new plantlets at nodes, enabling vegetative propagation and rapid lateral spread. A stolon typically has nodes with buds that can develop roots and shoots; internodes connect propagules to the parent.

Stolons are distinguished from rhizomes, which are underground stems, and from upright stems that primarily grow vertically. It is common for stolons to be green and photosynthetic, though they can be leafless or only partially functional depending on the species.

In plant biology, stolons facilitate clonal reproduction and colonization of space, allowing a parent plant to spread across the ground or into new areas without seeds. Strawberry plants are a classic example; their above-ground runners produce new fruiting plants at their tips. Other stoloniferous species include some grasses and the spider plant, which forms plantlets at the ends of stolons.

Cultivation and management: Stolons can be encouraged or suppressed depending on horticultural goals. For ground-covering plants, stolons help form a dense mat; in crops or ornamentals, excessive stolon production can be controlled by pruning or spacing.

In mycology and related fields, the term stolon refers to a horizontal hyphal or plasmodial connection that links colonies or structures, aiding the spread of the organism.