A bulbil (also referred to as a bulbel, bulblet, and/or pup) is a small, young plant that is reproduced vegetatively from

axillary bud The axillary bud (or lateral bud) is an Plant embryogenesis, embryonic or Organogenesis#Plant organogenesis, organogenic Shoot (botany), shoot located in the axil of a leaf. Each bud has the potential to form shoots, and may be specialized in prod ...

s on the parent plant's

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

or in place of a flower on an

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

. These young plants are clones of the parent plant that produced them—they have identical genetic material. The formation of bulbils is a form of

asexual reproduction Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes or change in the number of chromosomes. The offspring that arise by asexual reproduction from either unicellular or multicellular organisms inherit the f ...

, as they can eventually go on to form new stand-alone plants. Although some bulbils meet the botanical criterion to be considered a true

bulb In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

, there are a variety of different morphological forms of bulbils, some of which are not considered to be bulbs. Hence the reason for distinction between bulbs and bulbils. For example, some

ous plant groups, like onions and lilies, produce bulbils in the form of a secondary, small bulb. Onion and lily bulbils meet the botanical criterion to be labeled a true bulb. All bulbils produced by

ous plants are to be considered bulbs, but not all bulbils are to be considered bulbs. For example, other non-bulbous plant groups, like various genera within the subfamily

Agavoideae Agavoideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. It has previously been treated as a separate family, Agavaceae. The group includes many well-known desert and dry-zone types, such as the agaves ...

, are well known to produce bulbils that do not actually meet the botanical criterion to be considered a

Bulbils in Agavoideae

Within

, bulbils develop on the

of a blooming plant. The development of bulbils in this group is common in approximately 17 ''

Agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large Rosette (botany), rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Many plan ...

'' species, all '' Furcraea'' species, and has been somewhat documented in ''

Yucca ''Yucca'' ( , YUCK-uh) is both the scientific name and common name for a genus native to North America from Panama to southern Canada. It contains 50 accepted species. In addition to yucca, they are also known as Adam's needle or Spanish-bayon ...

'' (particularly ''

Yucca elata ''Yucca elata'' is a perennial plant, with common names that include soaptree, soaptree yucca, soapweed, and palmella. It is native to southwestern North America, in the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Desert in the United States (western Texas, N ...

''), and '' Hesperaloe''. Bulbils can develop quite quickly, many do so after the flowers die, and can persist on the inflorescence for around one to two years before falling to root in the ground. While still on the parent plant, many species develop adventitious roots and can grow to sizes ranging from 5 to 15 centimeters, if left to mature.

Examples

* '' Aconitum columbianum'' ssp. viviparum * ''

'' * '' Allium vineale'' * '' Allium paradoxum'' * ''Allium'' × ''proliferum'' (tree onion) * ''

Allium sativum Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion, and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. Garlic is native to ...

'' (garlic) * '' Amorphophallus bulbifer'' * ''

Asplenium bulbiferum ''Asplenium bulbiferum'', known as mother spleenwort, is a fern species native to New Zealand only. It is also called hen and chicken fern and, in the Māori language, pikopiko, mouku or mauku. Its fronds are eaten as a vegetable. It grows sma ...

'' * '' Bistorta vivipara'' * '' Cardamine bulbifera'' * '' Cicuta bulbifera'' * '' Claytonia sibirica'' L. var. bulbifera * '' Costus spiral'' * '' Cynorkis uncata'' * '' Cystopteris bulbifera'' * '' Cyperus alternifolius'' * '' Dentaria bulbifera'' * '' Dodecatheon hendersonii'' A. Gray ssp. hendersonii * '' Dioscorea bulbifera'' * '' Eleocharis vivipara'' * '' Ficaria verna'' ssp. bulbifera * '' Furcraea'' hexapetala Insurance against reproductive failure in a semelparous plant, Table 1
/ref> * '' Homeria breyniana'' * '' Kalanchoe daigremontiana'' * '' Lithophragma glabrum'' * '' Leskeaceae'' nervosa Myr. var. bulbifera * '' Lilium bulbiferum'' * '' Lilium lancifolium'' * '' Oxalis inaequalis'' * ''

Pinellia ternata ''Pinellia ternata'' ( zh, 半夏, ), crow-dipper, is a plant that is native to China, Japan, and Korea. However, it also grows as an invasive weed in parts of Europe (Austria, Germany) and in North America (California, Ontario, the northeastern ...

'' * '' Saxifraga cernua'' * '' Woodwardia radicans'' Woodwardia radicans with costal bulbils
/ref>

References

{{Reflist Plant morphology Plant reproduction

Bulbils in Agavoideae

Examples

See also

References