The Plant Structures You Think You Know (But Probably Don't)

I used to believe that beans are runners, not until I did my research and came up with a note. What captivated me most was discovering that there is a clear disparity between runner beans and stolons.

Runner beans do not have nodes which doesn't qualify it to be a runner as clearly stated in my article. Additionally, they may spread in a net-like fashion, making them look similar to potatoes or any other runner.

Potato stems have nodes, which are points where new roots grow. These nodes might become specialized to store starch or nutrients. Thats why we have our yummy potatoes being propagated by stems.

What about the famous ginger?

Yes, it is a rhizome, which also runs horizontally but not above the ground. From my article, you can clearly see that Rhizomes differ from stolons, but they share a similarity in their horizontal growth pattern in that they grow horizontally.

Bermuda grass is actually a stolon and not a rhizome, though its growth pattern shares some similarities with rhizomes — I sincerely did not know that.

However, yam and cassava are neither stolons nor rhizomes, as they do not have nodes that share similar hoeizontal groth as stolons. Cassava grows from the base of the stem.

Yam is a stem tuber, just like potatoes. Cassava, however, is a root tuber.

Hmmm! I won't forget...

Plantain and pineapple are propagated through suckers. Plantain is a rhizome, and the small offshoots it produces are called suckers. Pineapple, however, is not a rhizome but can be propagated using suckers, slips, or crowns.

You can find the link to my short note to understand better.

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