Difference Between Bud and Shoot
Bud and shoot are parts of plants. They both are different things. Shoot is a knoblike part out of which a leaf, stem or a flower grows. Actually, it is an immature part of a leaf, flower or a stem. Every leaf, stem, or a flower is a shoot in an immature form. Sometimes, bud refers to a flower which is not fully bloomed yet.
In biology, bud refers to asexual outgrowth. It originates from its parent organism which develops as a separate form. ‘Bud’ often is used in its figurative meaning such as ‘a budding artist.’ Here the word ‘bud’ refers to a becoming artist who has not full maturity of an artist.
Shoot on the other hand is a part of a plant from which a bud originates. Thus a bud itself in its initial form is a shoot. A shoot develops into a bud and a bud develops into a flower or a leaf. Thus all leaf, buds, and flower are always shoot in the beginning. Shoots are tender in nature and gets hard in the later stages.
Bud and shoot are different from each other in terms of their size and shape. A shoot can be long or short. A bud is a premature form of a flower or leaf. Therefore, it is round in shape. It may be oval depending on the variety of a plant or flower.
Both shoots and buds are attractive to look at. But, shoot is less attractive if there is no bud on it. A shoot with a bud or flower is used for decorative purposes. Thus there shoots and buds are different parts of plants. The difference is regarding the stages in which they develop. Shoot is the basic structure required for a bud and in turn bud develops into a flower.