A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Stolon: stolo (s.m.III), gen.sg. stolonis, dat. sg. stoloni, acc. sg. stolonem, abl. sg. stolone, nom.& acc. pl. stolones, gen. pl. stolonum, dat. & abl. pl. stolonibus [> L. stolo (s.m.III), gen. sg. stolonis: “a shoot, branch, twig, or scion springing from the stock or root of a tree; a useless sucker, water-shoot” (Lewis & Short)];

1. [as Stole, Stolo] “a sucker which at first appears at the surface of the earth, and then turns downwards, piercing the soil or rooting into it” (Lindley); “a sucker, runner, or any basal branch which is disposed to root” (Jackson) 1. “a horizontal branch from the base of a plant that is either above or below ground and produces new plants from buds at its tip or nodes (as in the strawberry) - called also runner” (WIII); cf. flagellum, rhizoma, runner, see sarmentum,-i (s.n.II);

2. (fungi) “a hypha produced on the surface and connecting a group of conidiophores (as in fungi of the genus Rhizopus” (WIII); a runner, as in Rhizopus (Ainsworth & Bisby); “a runner; a horizontal hypha that sprouts where it touches the substrate and forms haustoria or rhizoids in the substrate and aerial mycelium or sporophores above it, as in the Mucorales” (S&D);

- stolonibus repentibus, with creeping stolons.

- caudex emittens stolones pubescentes rubros vel virides ad 10 cm. longos et 5 mm. crassos, rootstock putting forth stolons (runners) pubescent red or green to 10 cm. long and 5 mm. thick.

- caudex stolonibus pubescentibus rubris, rootstock with stolons pubescent red (Stearn).

- [Ranunculaceae] herbae annuae, v. caudice radiciformi v. cespitoso v. ope stolonum perennantes, rarius suffruticosae v. lignoso-scandentes (B&H), annual herbs, or with a rootlike caudex or caespitose or perennial by means of stolons, more rarely a subshrub or woody-climbing.

Aerial Modifications of the Stem and Branches: the Stolon. “This is a branch given off above the surface of the earth, but which curves or proceeds downwards towards it and when it reaches a moist spot it sends rootlets into the ground, and a stem upwards into the air, and being thus capable of acquiring food independently of its parent, it ultimately forms a new individual. The Currant, Gooseberry, and other plants, multiply in this way. All such plants are said to be stoloniferous. Gardeners imitate this natural formation of new individuals when they lay down a branch into the earth, from which a new plant is ultimately formed ; this process is technically called layering” (Bentley); cf. runner or flagellum; offset; rhozome or rootstock; sucker.

Rhizome: (in bryophytes) “a slender, horizontal, subterranean stem giving rise to erect secondary stems (also called subterranean stolon); e.g. Rhodobryum” (Magill 1990). Runner-bulb: “a bulb formed by a stolon, as distinct from one formed direct from the main axis” (Jackson).

NOTE: a sarmentum may be more like a ‘trailing branch’ that may or may not root at the nodes, as in Rubus. - herbae, suffrutices aut frutices sarmentosi (DeCandolle), herbs, subshrubs or shrubs bearing stolons [i.e. long, trailing branches].