From Seed to Seed:
Plant Science for K-8 Educators

Digging Deeper

Botany vs. Horticulture

Pick up a botany textbook and you may find one or two pages devoted to asexual propagation, and hundreds of pages on sexual reproduction. Most horticultural references, on the other hand, devote large sections to asexual propagation. Why the difference?

To the scientist, asexual propagation is a minor topic. Although it is not unusual in the plant world, it is generally not the primary method of reproduction used by higher plants. And asexual propagation involves simple mitotic cell division. Sexual reproduction, on the other hand, relies on the much more interesting meiotic cell division, as well as the subsequent production and union of gametes. Genetically, asexual propagation is rather ho-hum, too. Offspring are genetically identical to the parent plant. Not much to study there!

Gardeners and horticulturalists, however, know that asexual propagation is the best-and in some cases, the only-way to propagate some of their favorite plants, making it a very interesting and relevant subject indeed!

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