= Plant clone
A <plant clone> is a lineage of <plants> descended from one founder by <asexual reproduction>. <Vegetative propagation>, for example rooting several <plant cuttings> from one stock <plant>, can multiply a selected <genotype> while avoiding the reshuffling associated with ordinary <sexual reproduction>. This is why such methods are useful for maintaining a named <cultivar> that does not reproduce its characteristics reliably from <seeds>.<Propagation techniques by the RHS Advice Team>[Vegetative propagation]{ref}
A <plant clone> is defined by descent, not by identical appearance. Its members can experience different <light>, <water> or nutrient conditions, and <somatic mutations> can arise during growth. Shared ancestry consequently does not imply that every <phenotype> or every later <DNA> sequence must remain identical.
For an illustrative experiment, divide rooted <plant cuttings> from the same founder between brighter and dimmer conditions while keeping other conditions comparable. Differences in <leaf> size need not establish a difference in inherited <genotype>: the design deliberately holds ancestry relatively constant while changing the environment. Repeating this across several distinct <plant clones> can test whether different <genotypes> respond differently, an example of <genotype-environment interaction>.
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