Shoot 51668 221949346 2008-06-26T20:46:03Z AS 4062865 {{about|new growth in plants}} [[Image:Cucumber leaf.jpg|thumb|The shoot of a [[cucumber]].]] '''Shoots''' are new plant growth, they can include [[plant stem|stems]], flowering stems with flower buds, leaves. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the spring, perennial plant shoots are the new growth that grows from the ground in herbaceous plants or the new stem and/or flower growth that grows on woody plants. [[Image:GiantKnotweed048.jpg|thumb|Edible shoots of [[Fallopia sachalinensis|Sachaline]] ]] In everyday speech, shoots are often confused with stems. Stems, which are a critical component of shoots, provide an axis for buds, fruits, and leaves. Shoots are often eaten by animals because the [[natural fiber|fibres]] in the new growth have not yet completed secondary [[cell wall]] development, this makes shoots soft and easer to chew and digest. As shoots grow and age, the cells develop completed cell walls that have a hard and tough structure. As a protection, some plants (eg. [[bracken]]) produce [[toxin]]s that make their shoots inedible or less palatable. == See also == * [[plant stem|Stem]] * [[Bud]] [[Category: plant morphology]] {{botany-stub}} [[bg:Филиз]] [[da:Skud (botanik)]] [[de:Spross]] [[fr:Germe]] [[lt:Ūglys]] [[nl:Scheut (plant)]] [[ja:芽]] [[pl:Pęd (botanika)]] [[ru:Побег (ботаника)]] [[fi:Verso]] [[uk:Пагін]]