Specialized Stems
Rhizome
A rhizome is an underground horizontal stem that stores nutrients and produces new shoots and roots for plant survival and propagation.
A stolon, often referred to as a runner, is a slender horizontal stem that grows along the soil surface and propagates plants by forming roots and shoots at its nodes.
Runners and Stolons
Tubers
A tuber is a short, swollen underground stem modified for storage, composed mainly of parenchyma tissue that stores starch and enables plant survival during unfavorable conditions.
A bulb is a rounded underground stem that functions as a dormant stage, consisting of a short stem surrounded by overlapping membranous or fleshy leaves.
Bulbs
Corms
A corm is a solid, upright underground stem that stores starch, bears scaly leaves and buds, lacks layered rings, and can produce daughter corms for vegetative reproduction.
Cladophylls (or cladodes) are modified stems that resemble and function like leaves, arising from shoot axils, showing determinate growth, and varying in shape from cylindrical to flattened.
Caldophylls
Tendril and Twinning Shoots
A tendril is a specialized, slender plant organ that helps climbing stems attach and gain support by strongly twining and coiling around nearby objects. Tendrils may arise from modified stems or various leaf parts—such as leaflets, tips, or stipules—and usually develop from stem nodes.
Searcher shoots are specialized climbing stems that grow outward to locate and attach to supports, combining strength and flexibility to help the plant rise.
Searcher Shoots
Thorns
Thorns are modified axillary shoots with hardened stems and reduced leaves that grow determinately, primarily serving to protect the plant from herbivores.
Stem succulents, such as cacti, lack typical leaves and store water in their fleshy tissues, with true succulents being soft and non-woody, while woody succulents have a supportive woody framework with water-storing spaces, enabling survival in arid environments.
