Clonal colony

A clonal colony is a group of genetically identical plants connected or descended through vegetative growth. Its members arise from one original plant rather than from separate seeds.

Vegetative reproduction: Asexual reproduction in plants that produces new individuals from stems, roots, leaves, or other vegetative structures. It is the broader process that generates the colony without seeds.
Pando: A clonal colony of quaking aspen in Utah, often described as a single organism. Its interconnected stems make it a prominent example of a vast clonal colony.
Genet: The genetic individual descended from a single zygote, including its vegetatively produced descendants. A colony is commonly treated as one genet, even when its ramets are physically separate.
Clonal forestry: Forestry that establishes trees using genetically selected clones. The same vegetative principle is used to multiply trees with desired traits.
Population genetics: The study of genetic variation and its change within populations. Clonal reproduction alters how genetic variation is distributed and inherited in plant populations.
Rhizome: A horizontally growing underground stem that can produce roots and shoots at its nodes. Rhizomes let plants extend underground and establish new shoots within a colony.
Quaking aspen: A North American poplar that commonly spreads by producing root suckers. Its root-sprouting growth can create extensive colonies such as Pando.
Genetic identity: The degree to which organisms share the same genetic makeup. Shared ancestry explains why a colony's members are described as genetically identical.
Plant tissue culture: The growth of plant cells or tissues on a sterile nutrient medium. It can multiply selected genotypes rapidly outside naturally spreading colonies.
Plant senescence: The gradual deterioration of plant cells, tissues, or organs with age. Colony growth can continue as older ramets die and younger ones replace them.

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