Grades 3–5 · Organisms
How can a strawberry plant start another plant without a seed?
A strawberry patch can spread even before its berries produce new seedlings. A plant sends a slender stem along the ground. This sideways stem is called a runner, and it remains connected to the original plant.
In the diagramA runner connects an established plant to new growthparent plantdaughter plantrunner stemconnection supplies resourcesnew roots + leavesOne runner; seeds provide a different reproductive route.
At a growing point on the runner, a small cluster of leaves develops. Roots can grow downward where that point meets suitable soil. The new growth becomes a daughter plant, with its own roots and leaves.
While the connection remains, the original plant can supply the young plant with resources. As its own roots and leaves develop, the daughter plant becomes able to obtain water and make sugars for itself.
This is reproduction by growing a new plant from part of an existing one. It usually preserves the parent’s inherited features closely. Strawberry plants can also reproduce through seeds, which follow a different route involving flowers.
About this explanation
Starting knowledge: Recognize stems, roots and leaves, and know that a seed can start a plant.
Sources
- University of Minnesota Extension — How strawberry plants grow