Plant Propagation Technique
A Rhizome is actually a stem of a plant, most commonly growing underground, that produces roots and stem shoots along its length from nodes. They are also known as rootstocks and creeping root stalks.
When cut into pieces, each piece of the Rhizome can potentially grow into a new plant through a process known as vegetative reproduction. Many plants are cloned in this manner, including asparagus, bamboo, ginger, hops, Canna lilies, and even the Venus Flytrap.
Rhizomes have compact internodal spacing which produces roots from the bottom of the nodes and stems shoots from the top.
A few plants have Rhizomes that grow along the top of the ground, including ferns and some species of Iris.
In some cases, Rhizomes are considered a nuisance, as they can cause a plant to spread beyond its intended borders. The implementation of a Rhizome barrier can keep plants that reproduce through Rhizomes from spreading.
Often confused with a Rhizome is the Stolon, and while similar, a stolon sprouts from an existing plant stem, has much wider internodal spacing and generates its new shoots at the terminating end. Strawberry plants are an example of a plant that produces Stolons, as opposed to true Rhizomes.
