keikis

Keiki is a Hawaiian term meaning child, used in horticulture to describe a shoot or plantlet that forms as an asexual offspring of a parent plant and can be removed to grow as a new individual. The term is most commonly applied to orchids, where a keiki may develop on a flower spike or, in some species, from a leaf node. Keikis also occur on other plants, notably some bromeliads and kalanchoes, where “pups” or offsets are more commonly used rather than the term keiki.

In orchids, keikis form when plant tissue on a spike or leaf node differentiates to produce adventitious roots and leaves. A keiki that develops on a flower spike usually appears near the base of a small shoot with roots beginning to form. A viable keiki typically has at least two leaves and several roots, commonly 2–3 centimeters long. It is removed carefully with clean cutting tools, ideally keeping a small portion of tissue attached to the parent plant to reduce stress, though some growers detach the keiki entirely once it is robust enough.

On bromeliads and kalanchoes, the offspring emerging at the base or along inflorescences are often called pups or offsets. These should be allowed to reach a practical size—often a third to half the size of the mother plant—before being separated and potted in appropriate medium.

Propagation considerations include avoiding excessive stress to the mother plant, maintaining suitable humidity and light, and using sterile tools to minimize infection. Keiki propagation provides a rapid method to multiply desirable varieties without seeds and preserves the genetic clone of the parent.