'Shoots' are fresh new plant growth, they can include
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.
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.
A shoot may also refer to the new growth of a plant stem. Because the
fibres in this new growth have not yet completed secondary
cell wall development, these shoots are soft and are often
eaten by animals. As a protection, some plants (eg.
bracken) produce
toxins that make their shoots inedible or less palatable.
See also
★
Stem
★
Bud