runner

A creeping stem that arises from an axillary bud and runs along the ground, giving rise to plantlets at the nodes, as in the creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens), or apex, as in the wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca). Runners are formed by many rosette plants. They often differ greatly from the normal stem of the plant and usually possess greatly lengthened internodes. See also stolon.