Clone
/kloʊn/
Definition
Clone refers to a plant, group of plants, or cells that are genetically identical to the original source because they were produced asexually rather than from seed. In gardening and horticulture, clones come from methods such as cuttings, division, tissue culture, or grafted material taken from the same parent. They usually keep the parent plant’s traits more closely than seedlings, which vary because sexual reproduction mixes genes.
Role in Plant Biology
- Genetic uniformity: A clone lets botanists and growers separate genetic effects from environmental ones, because plants with the same DNA can still look different under different light, water, or temperature conditions.
- Common in vegetative propagation: Many houseplants, fruit crops, and ornamentals are multiplied this way through cuttings, division, grafting, or tissue culture to preserve flower color, fruit quality, growth habit, or other selected traits.
- Limits and risks: Because a clone shares the same genetic makeup, a whole planting may respond similarly to pests, diseases, or stress, which can reduce resilience compared with a more genetically diverse group.
- Natural occurrence: Some plants form spreading colonies by runners, rhizomes, bulbs, or suckers, so what looks like many separate plants may actually be one genetic individual made up of repeated shoots.
Related Terms
Cultivar
Cultivar is a horticultural term for a cultivated plant variety selected for distinct traits, such as flower color…
Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction is a biological process in which a plant produces new individuals from one parent without…
Vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction refers to a form of asexual plant reproduction in which new plants grow from roots, stems…
Propagation
Propagation is the process of producing new plants from seeds, spores, or vegetative parts such as stem cuttings…
Cuttings
Cuttings are pieces of a plant, such as stem, leaf, or root sections, removed from the parent plant and used to produce…
Division
Division is a horticultural propagation technique in which a mature plant is split into two or more sections, each with…
Layering
Layering is a vegetative propagation technique in which a stem forms roots while still attached to the parent plant…
Micropropagation
Micropropagation is a plant propagation technique that produces many new plants from a small piece of parent tissue…