stolon

[ stoh-luhn ]

noun

1. Botany. a prostrate stem, at or just below the surface of the ground, that produces new plants from buds at its tips or nodes.
2. Zoology. a rootlike extension of the body wall in a compound organism, as a bryozoan, usually giving rise to new members by budding.

stolon

/ ˈstəʊlən; ˌstəʊləˈnɪfərəs /

noun

1. a long horizontal stem, as of the currants, that grows along the surface of the soil and propagates by producing roots and shoots at the nodes or tip
2. a branching structure in lower animals, esp the anchoring rootlike part of colonial organisms, such as hydroids, on which the polyps are borne

stolon

/ stō′lŏn′ /

1. See runner
2. Zoology.
   A stemlike structure of certain colonial organisms, such as hydroids, from which new individuals arise by budding.

Derived Forms

• stoloniferous, adjective

Other Words From

• sto·lon·ic [stoh-, lon, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stolon¹

1595–1605; < Latin stolōn- (stem of stolō ) branch, shoot, twig

Word History and Origins

Origin of stolon¹

C17: from Latin stolō shoot

Example Sentences

But although this can keep weeds from growing up from underneath the bricks, it doesn’t stop weeds that send out stolons or rhizomes — runners that creep in from the edges of the paving.

From Washington Post

Both have underground rhizomes and surface-level stolons, which makes them able to repair themselves from damage from drought, dogs, people and disease.

From Washington Post

The perennial gets its name from the stolons, or “runners,” that extend from the base of its stems, the U.S.

From Seattle Times

Researchers found that the stolons for these specific worms have their own eyes and form a new brain.

From Salon

Based on this arrangement, the researchers posited that Fractofusus might have reproduced by sending out stolons, or runners: filaments that grow a certain distance from the parent organism and then bud new life.

From New York Times