plantlet

A plantlet is a small, juvenile plant produced by vegetative or asexual propagation that can grow into a mature, independent plant. The term is commonly used in horticulture and botany to describe clones of a parent plant, so plantlets are typically genetically identical to their source.

Plantlets can form through several mechanisms. In vegetative propagation, new plants arise as offsets, pups, or suckers from the base of a mature plant and can detach to establish their own roots. Runners or stolons grow horizontally, with plantlets forming at nodes and capable of rooting when in contact with soil; strawberries are a common example. Some succulents, notably certain Kalanchoe species, produce plantlets along leaf margins that detach and root to become independent plants. In tissue culture, plantlets are produced from explants in a controlled environment (micropropagation), then rooted and acclimatized for transfer to soil.

Care and establishment of plantlets depend on their origin and species. Plantlets produced in tissue culture typically require a period of acclimatization to ambient humidity and light levels before they can be transplanted successfully. Those formed in soil or on runners may be ready for transplant once they have developed adequate roots.

Significance lies in rapid, uniform, and scalable propagation of desirable genotypes, enabling disease-free stock and consistent ornamental or agricultural performance. Plantlets are widely used in horticulture for cloning cultivars, restoring rare varieties, and maintaining genetic consistency across commercial crops.