Question

A slender, prostate sub-aerial branch of the stem which creeps along the ground helping in vegetative reproduction is
(a) Offset
(b) Sucker
(c) Runner
(d) None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: A specialized stem called stolon is a slender, prostate sub-aerial branch of the stem that creeps along the ground to assist in vegetative reproduction. For vegetative propagation, this sort of plant is planned. Example: strawberry, Cynodon, etc. This name denotes the athlete.

Complete step by step answer:
A runner is a type of sub-aerial modification that occurs from the base of the stem running along the ground surface as a lateral branch. It grows internodes and nodes and forms roots below and leaves above at each node. The separation of runners gives rise to new plants from the parent plant. The shoot grows as separate plants when detached from the parent plant.

A slender, prostrate, subaerial branch that creeps horizontally on the ground is a runner. It grows from the stem's lower axillary bud and is a thin cylindrical elongated structure with long internodes. The nodes with adventitious roots grow into daughter plants when the internodes split due to rotting or for some other purpose. Examples: Cynodon, Oxalis.
So, the correct answer is, ‘Runner’.

Additional information: A sucker is a lateral branch that moves some distance along the ground and then grows underground and then turns up again to develop new plants. As these accumulate in the roots, shoot formation is caused. A new shoot, which is called a root sprout or sucker, starts to grow at the base of the shrub. Example: Mint, chrysanthemum, etc.
Offsets are short or condensed runners that are commonly found in aquatic plants and are long with one internode.
These originate in the axil of the lower leaves of the main shoots as short, more or less thickened horizontal branches. An offset generates, unlike a runner, a tuft of leaves above and a cluster of roots below. Each branch forms an individual plant upon breaking off from the parent plant. Example: Pistia and so on.

Note: Strawberry plants create runners. These stolons are horizontal stems that run above the ground and, at nodes spaced at different intervals, grow new clone plants. Strawberry plants are considered "stoloniferous" as they possess stolons. Internodes are named the long, leafless stems between the mother plant, plant-growing nodes, and growing tip of the stolon.