What is the name of an underground stem on a grass plant that sprouts into a new grass plant?

• A. Rhizome
• B. Stolon
• C. Sprig
• D. Plug

Answer: (A)

Grasses spread through vegetative structures, and an underground stem that runs beneath the soil and produces new shoots and roots is called a rhizome. This allows a grass patch to pop up new plants away from the parent by growing horizontally underground. In contrast, a stolon is a similar runner that stays on the soil surface and can root at nodes to form new plants. Sprig isn’t a technical term for an underground stem, and a plug refers to a small transplanted plant unit rather than a stem type. So the underground stem that sprouts into a new grass plant is a rhizome.