Question map
Buds produced in the notches along the leaf margin of Bryophyllum fall on soil and develop into new plants. This is an example of which one of the following types of reproduction?
Explanation
The development of new plants from the buds produced in the notches of Bryophyllum leaf margins is a classic example of vegetative propagation. This is a form of asexual reproduction where new individuals are generated from vegetative parts of the parent plant, such as roots, stems, or leaves, rather than from seeds or spores [3]. In Bryophyllum and Kalanchoe, these adventitious buds develop into small plantlets while still attached to the leaf margin. When these plantlets detach and fall onto suitable soil, or when the leaf itself touches the ground, they root and grow into independent, genetically identical plants. While the process involves 'buds', in botanical classification for higher plants, this specific mechanism of using non-reproductive organs (leaves) for multiplication is categorized under vegetative propagation rather than the 'budding' seen in unicellular organisms like yeast.
Sources
- [1] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 7: How do Organisms Reproduce? > What you have learnt > p. 126
- [2] Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 13: Our Home: Earth, a Unique Life Sustaining Planet > 13.5.1 Asexual reproduction > p. 220
- [3] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 7: How do Organisms Reproduce? > 7.2.5 Vegetative Propagation > p. 117