budding

Examples of asexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction is the simplest form of reproduction, occurring in many plants and simple animals. Strawberry plants can reproduce by sending out runners; onion plants form bulbs; and potato plants form tubers. Amoebas divide into two (binary fission) and hydra form new hydra by budding. The offspring are always genetically identical to the parent.

Type of asexual reproduction in which an outgrowth develops from a cell to form a new individual. Most yeasts reproduce in this way.

In a suitable environment, yeasts grow rapidly, forming long chains of cells as the buds themselves produce further buds before being separated from the parent. Simple invertebrates, such as hydra, can also reproduce by budding.

In horticulture, the term is used for a technique of plant propagation whereby a bud (or scion) and a sliver of bark from one plant are transferred to an incision made in the bark of another plant (the stock). This method of grafting is often used for roses.