Asexual reproduction of plants: what is, characteristics, types and examples

To know how the asexual reproduction of plants is carried out, other concepts must be defined, such as, for example, what this type of reproduction is.

Basically, asexual or vegetative reproduction that occurs in some animals, plants and other organisms, consists of the detachment of a cell or body parts of an already developed individual and that through mitotic processes are able to give rise to another genetically the same organism.

Some of the characteristics of asexual reproduction are:

• Can be developed with A single parent and without the process intervening sex cells or gametes.
• Another characteristics of asexual reproduction is that it is the Unique possible in simple organismslike bacteria. They give a process of binary fission or split in which a stem cell is fragmented in two or more cells.
• Within yeasts and unicellular fungi the process It is called Gemination and a small yolk is formed that grows in the body of the mother organism until it emerges.
• In some primitive multicellular animals, such as sponges or tunicates, the division is performed through yolks.
• The cell division or mitosis that occurs in the upper animals is very Similar to the splitting processbut it is not considered a sexual reproduction mechanism. Do not hesitate to take a look at this ecology article see on the difference between mitosis and meiosis.
• In vegetables it is possible to observe both reproduction mechanismssexual and asexual.
• The last of the characteristics of asexual reproduction is that in the upper plants sexual reproduction is carried out by seeds, while they exist varied asexual reproduction mechanisms. Discover more about the seeds: what are and types, here.

Once we already know what the asexual reproduction of the plants is and how it is carried out, it is necessary to mention that this type of multiplication can take place through various structures or methods Reproductive Thus, what are the mechanisms of asexual reproduction in this case? Then we explain them to you.

• Stolons: Throughout the surface of the soil, thin and elongated stems are formed that will form spaced roots and that will subsequently lead to a new individual. You can see them in the image below and here we tell you more about what stolons and examples are.
• Rizomas: They are stems of indefinite growth that develop below or above the earth and give rise to the adventitious roots, from which the new plants will grow. Learn more in this other post about rhizomes: definition and examples.
• Cuttings: They are portions or pieces of stems that originate a new individual. For this, the cuttings must be buried underground and can be treated with hormones.
• Grafts: It consists of inserting a yolk into a cleft made in the stem of a plant with roots. It is very typical in fruit trees and, therefore, in Ecology Verde we prepare this guide on how to make fruit trees grafts.
• Leaves and roots: In some species there are leaves that can work in vegetative reproduction. In this type of asexual reproduction of plants, these are developed attached to the leaves, until they grow enough and can be separated. Then they fall to the ground, where they root. This also happens with pieces of roots.
• Sporulation: The body forms spores, which are small and easy to dispersion, and when favorable conditions find the new individual. Sporulation is typical of ferns and mosses. Discover what is the sporulation and examples in this other article that we recommend.
• Propagate them: They are small yolks that come from talus with the ability to spread. It is typical of briophyte plants and ferns.
• Parthenogenesis and Apomixis: The individual manages to lead to seeds without fertilization of the ovule.
• Gemmation: It is an unequal type of division that consists in the fact that buds, packages or prominences are formed in the parent plant. These, when growing and developing, can be separated from the main floor and be new but the same individuals. To know more about the gemation: what is and examples, do not hesitate to take a look at this article.

When obtaining genetically identical plantsit is possible to generate new plants adapted to specific environments and is a rapid and efficient mechanism. Therefore, this type of reproduction is ideal for environments that are not suitable for seed reproduction.

As we have indicated before, we could talk about examples of sexual and asexual plants according to the type of reproduction they use. Even so, in this minimum section, we will talk about 5 floors that reproduce asexually so you can have more information about them:

• Kalachoe: They are succulent plants and with asexual reproduction starting from seedlings or leftovers of their leaves. In fact, it is very easy to reproduce them. In these posts we show you +40 types of Kalachoe and the care of the Kalachoe plant.
• Tulipanes: They are usually reproduced asexually by bulbs, which are underground fleshy stems that give rise to new plants. In this other article you can know 15 bulb plants and in this other how to take care of tulips in pot.
• Cypress: They are usually reproduced asexually by male Apomixis (there are few cases), in which they give rise to grain of diploid pollen that form an embryo to reaches a feminine of another cypress.
• Potato: The potato is usually reproduced asexually by buried or tubers.
• Lion teeth: They are plants that reproduce asexually by apomixis or spores. Get more information about how the lion tooth is like and what it is for.
• Brachiaria: It is a common plant in tropical areas and is reproduced by Apomixis.
• Panicum: It is a family plant that Brachiaria and also of tropical areas. It reproduces asexually by Apomixis.
• Dahlia: Another kind of plants with asexual reproduction are dalias, perennial plants near sunflower, which is reproduced by tubers. Find out more about the care of the Dalias, here.
• Cenchrus: It is another of the plants that reproduce asexually. It is a herbaceous plant of temperate and tropical zones, which is reproduced by Apomixis.
• Green algae: They are a wide group of seaweed that are reproduced through spores that give rise to identical individuals. Discover more about them in this other post about what green algae, characteristics, types and examples are.
• Sugarcane: It is a very popular plant since sugar is obtained from it. It is usually reproduced by planting pieces of a previous individual. Precisely its easy propagation allows its commercial exploitation.
• Onion: It is one of the plants with greater commercial and food popularity, its cultivation occurs throughout the world. One of the reasons is the easy reproduction of onions, through remains of their root.
• Malamadre or tapes: domestic cultivation plant that generates new individuals from its roots and ramifications. It is considered an invasive and perennial plant. Here we tell you how to take care of the tape plant.
• Gladioles: Gender that includes a large number of species, which develop different behaviors according to the crop to which they are subjected. They can be reproduced by geming.

We recommend that you take a look at this video of Ecology Verde below where more details of the playback of the plants are explained or, but you can also read this article where we talk about plants that reproduce sexually.

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