CHE REFERENCE LIBRARY - Pole Shift Survival Information

CHAPTER
IV
PROPAGATION BY MEANS OF LAYERS AND RUNNERS
M,~NY plants habitua811y propagate by means of decumbent
shoots and runners. These shoots become more or less covered
with earth or leaves, and roots are formed, usually at the joints.
In many cases, t.he old shoots die away and an entirely inde-
FIG. 5%
A runner of strawberry.
pendent plant arises from each fascicle of roots. in other
plants, the shoots remain attached to the parent, at least for
a number of years, so that the plant comprises a colony of
essentially independent but connected individuals.
Certain definitions should be clearly understood before we
proceed with the discussion. A runner is a shoot t.hat trails
on the ground, taking root at intervals ; the strawberry produces
true runners (Fig. 58). Sometimes the runner is covered
by the accumulating surface mold (Fig. 59). A root may sometimes
act as a runner. A stoblz is a decumbent or lopping
shoot which, without artificial aid, takes root and forms an
independent plant. It usually starts more or less erect and
bends over to the ground as it grows. The honeysuckles, some
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