Clonal colony
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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A clonal colony or genet is a group of genetically identical individuals, such as plants, fungi, or bacteria, that have grown in a given location, all originating vegetatively, not sexually, from a single ancestor. In plants, an individual in such a population is referred to as a ramet. In fungi, "individuals" typically refers to the visible fruiting bodies or mushrooms that develop from a common mycelium which, although spread over a large area, is otherwise hidden in the soil. Clonal colonies are common in many plant species. Although many plants reproduce sexually through the production of seed, reproduction occurs by underground stolons or rhizomes in some plants. Above ground, these plants appear to be distinct individuals, but underground they remain interconnected and are all clones of the same plant. However, it is not always easy to recognize a clonal colony especially if it spreads underground and is also sexually reproducing.
Examples
When woody plants form clonal colonies, they often remain connected through the root system, sharing roots, water and mineral nutrients. A few non-vining, woody plants that form clonal colonies are:
- Bayberry, Myrica pensylvanica
- Black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia
- Bladdernut, Staphylea species
- Blueberry, Vaccinium species
- Devil's Club Oplopanax horridus
- Forsythia, Forsythia species
- Hazelnut, Corylus species
- Honey locust, Gleditsia triacanthos
- Kentucky coffeetree, Gymnocladus dioicus
- Kerria, Kerria japonica
- Pawpaw, Asimina triloba
- Pando tree, a clonal colony of a single male Populus tremuloides, all determined to be part of a single living organism
- Poplars, Populus species
- Sassafras, Sassafras albidum
- Sumac, Rhus species
- Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua
- Sweetshrub, Calycanthus floridus
