Have you ever read instructions to “cut just below a node” or “include an axillary bud” and wondered exactly what part of the plant that meant? Understanding a few basics of plant anatomy can make propagation much easier to understand, and eventually, easier to do.

Plants have specialized structures that help them grow and reproduce. For gardeners interested in propagation, some of the most important are stems, leaves, buds, petioles, and roots.

Stems

The stem supports leaves, flowers and other plant structures. It also stores food and serves as a pathway for moving water, minerals and sugars throughout the plant. Along the stem are nodes, the points where leaves and buds are attached. The sections of stem between nodes are called internodes.

Nodes are especially important in propagation because they are associated with buds that can produce new growth. Knowing where the nodes are can help you identify the right portion of a stem when taking a cutting.

Not all stems grow upright. Some plants produce specialized stems that grow horizontally. Stolons grow along the soil surface and can form new plants at their nodes, while rhizomes grow horizontally at or below the soil surface. Because both are stems rather than roots, they have nodes and buds capable of producing new growth.

Leaves

A leaf consists of a blade and, on many plants, a stalk called the petiole that connects the blade to the stem. The angle where a leaf joins the stem is called the axil, and this is where you may find an axillary bud. These buds can develop into new shoots. At the end of a growing stem, you may also find a terminal bud, which is responsible for growth at the stem tip.

Some plants have simple leaves, while others have compound leaves made up of multiple leaflets. One practical way to tell the difference is to look for the axillary bud: it occurs at the base of the entire leaf, not at the base of individual leaflets.

These structures become especially important when propagating plants. For example, a leaf-bud cutting includes a leaf, its petiole, an axillary bud and a short section of stem. Once the cutting roots, the axillary bud can develop into a new shoot.

In some plants, even the leaf itself can be used for propagation. Begonias and African violets, for example, can be propagated using leaf cuttings. With some begonias, new roots and shoots can even emerge where veins in the leaf have been wounded.

Roots

Roots anchor plants, absorb water and nutrients, and can store food. But roots don’t always originate from other roots. Adventitious roots develop from non-root tissues, such as stems or leaves. This ability is particularly important in propagation: when a stem cutting begins to root, those new roots are adventitious roots.

Roots themselves can also be used for propagation. In certain plants, sections of healthy roots can generate new roots and shoots.

Anatomy is only part of the answer.

Recognizing these plant parts doesn’t mean you can determine the best propagation method simply by looking at a plant. Different species respond to different techniques. But understanding plant anatomy gives you the foundation to recognize the structures involved in new growth—and understand why different propagation techniques work.

Next month, we’ll put that anatomy to work by looking at how stems, leaves, buds and roots can be used to propagate plants from cuttings.

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Adapted from CIR579 by Sydney Parker Brown.

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