Bud vs Shoot
Bud and Shoot are two parts of a plant that are to be understood with difference. In fact they are two different parts of a plant. Bud is an immature knoblike shoot of the plant from which a stem, leaf or flower develops for that matter. Sometimes bud refers to a flower or leaf that is not fully open.
In biological terms a bud refers to an asexual outgrowth from a parent organism that separates to form a new individual. The word ‘bud’ is often used in an interesting manner to refer to someone who is developing into an artist or a sportsman as in the expression ‘a budding tennis player’.
A shoot on the other hand is the part of the plant from which the buds rise. In other words the shoot puts forth buds. Thus it is understood that a bud is a part of a shoot and not vice versa. Bud is a subset of shoot. A shoot is a knoblike structure from which even leaf, flower and even stem rise.
Shoots of most of the plants are tender in nature. Shoots are soft too. A bud on the other hand develops into a flower. Shoot is the very support of the flowers and the leaves of a plant.
Bud and shoot also differs from each other in terms of their shape and size. A shoot can be short or long. A bud on the other hand is the premature flower or leaf and hence it is a round or oval structure depending upon the nature of the plant.
Shoots look attractive only with the cluster of buds on them. A shoot does not look particularly attractive if it lacks buds on it. A shoot with leaves and flowers is used as an item of decoration too.