prop·a·gule (pr p  -gy l )n. Any of various usually vegetative portions of a plant, such as a bud or other offshoot, that aid in dispersal of the species and from which a new individual may develop. [New Latin pr  p gulum, diminutive of Latin prpg, shoot, from prpgre, to propagate; see propagate.] |
| propagule (prp-gyl) 1. Any of various structures that can give rise to a new individual organism, especially parts of a plant that serve as means of vegetative reproduction, such as corms, tubers, offsets, or runners. Seeds and spores are also propagules. 2. A elongated, dart-shaped seedling of various mangrove species growing in swampy habitats. A propagule develops from a seed that germinates while still attached to the parent tree. The parent supplies the seedling with nutrients and water until it becomes heavy and drops off. Its pointed end sticks in the mud or it floats away to colonize another area. |
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