bud

1. An undeveloped condensed region of a shoot consisting of a short stem terminated by a meristem and, in foliage buds, numerous leaf primordia, leaf buttresses, and young rolled or folded leaves. Flower buds contain the immature flower. Buds are found at the apex of a shoot (apical or terminal buds) and in the axils of leaves (axillary or lateral buds). In some species accessory buds develop in addition to the axillary bud in a leaf axil. Often axillary buds remain dormant unless the apical bud is injured or removed (see apical dominance). Adventitious buds may arise anywhere on the plant. Suckers, for example, develop from adventitious buds on the roots. The dormant winter buds of deciduous trees and shrubs possess protective, often resinous, bud scales or cataphylls to resist desiccation. Transpiration may be further reduced by a covering of fine hairs. Many trees can be identified in winter by the form and colour of their resting buds. The arrangement of leaves in the bud and the pattern of leaf folding or rolling (vernation) are useful diagnostically.

2. The protrusion formed from a unicellular organism during the asexual reproductive process of *budding.