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Magical Buds: Can you imagine that a bud can become a new life?
In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot, usually occurring in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a tree trunk. The life cycle of a bud begins with its formation, some buds remain dormant for a long time, while others immediately form new shoots. Different types of shoots may be specialized to develop into flowers or short shoots, or they may have the potential to develop into general shoots.
Buds are the key to plant reproduction and growth. From their appearance, we can witness the miracle of life.
The buds of many woody plants, especially in temperate or cold climates, are surrounded by modified leaves called bud scales, which tightly wrap around the delicate part of the bud. Bud scales usually have a resinous substance as a protective coating. As buds begin to develop, the bud scales sometimes enlarge slightly and then fall off, leaving behind long transverse scars. These scars can help us determine the age of the branchlets because a bud forms at the end of each growing season, and the formation of the bud produces a new set of bud scale scars on the surface of the stem.
These scars will be erased after a few years as the branch continues to grow, so the overall age of older branches cannot be determined by this method. In many plants, buds are not covered with bud scales and are called naked buds. The tiny undeveloped leaves in these buds are often hairy. Naked buds are commonly found in some shrubs, such as sumac and some species of the Aeonium family.
The different shapes and characteristics of buds not only give us a deeper understanding of plants, but also provide an important basis for retrieving plant information.
The presence of buds is consistent with the distribution of leaves. There are terminal buds and lateral buds. Terminal buds are located at the top of the trunk, while lateral buds are located on both sides of the stem. The cabbage you see everywhere in cities is actually a particularly large terminal sprout, while Brussels sprouts are large side sprouts. Plants sometimes produce buds in unexpected locations, and these buds are called adventitious buds. In some plants, the bud scales can show different variations. For example, the bud scales of the Jojoba palm change color with the growth stage, showing a complete gradient from small brown outer scales to larger green scales.
Types of buds
Buds are very useful in plant identification, especially when the leaves have fallen in winter. Buds can be classified and described according to different criteria, including location, state, morphology and function. Botanists often use the following terms to classify plants:
- Location: terminal buds are located at the top of the stem; axillary buds are located in the axils of leaves; adventitious buds appear elsewhere, such as on the trunk or roots.
- Status: Accessory buds, secondary buds formed in addition to the main buds; resting buds, buds formed after the growing season ends and remain dormant; latent buds, buds that are in a longer period of time Growth delay state of time.
- Morphology: scaly buds, covered with scales to protect the parts; naked buds, not covered with scales; hairy buds, covered with hairs on the outside.
- Function: Vegetative buds only contain vegetative structures; reproductive buds only contain flower buds; mixed buds contain both leaf and flower embryos.
The existence of buds plays an extremely important role in the ecosystem. They are not only the basis for plant reproduction and growth, but also symbolize the continuation of life and the birth of new things. By observing the development process of buds, we will be amazed at the infinite potential of life in nature. But to what extent do these tiny buds affect our lives?
