stolon

A stolon is a slender, horizontal stem that grows at or just above the ground and produces new plants at its nodes. Its primary function is vegetative reproduction, enabling a plant to spread and form a clonal colony. Leaves may grow from the stolon at the nodes, and adventitious roots often develop there to anchor the new plantlet.

Stolons are distinguished from rhizomes, which are typically underground. Stolons are often called runners, while rhizomes are underground runners. Some plants have both structures, using stolons to rapidly colonize the surface and rhizomes to persist belowground in more stable conditions.

Examples of stoloniferous plants include the garden strawberry (Fragaria), which sends out aboveground stolons that root at the nodes to produce daughter plants; and creeping grasses such as Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) and creeping bentgrass, which spread across the surface via stolons. Ivy and other climbers can also produce stolon-like runners that root and form new growth.

Structure and growth are centered on nodes and internodes along the stolon. At each node, roots may develop and a new shoot can emerge, enabling the plant to extend its reach and form new individuals as the stolon grows.

In mycology, the term stolon can also refer to a horizontal layer or connection of mycelium that spreads and links or supports fruiting bodies, aiding colonization of the substrate.