# Axillary bud

> A dormant shoot bud in the angle (axil) between a leaf and the stem at each node, able to grow into a branch or a flower cluster.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/axillary-bud.html
- Also written: lateral bud, auxiliary bud, axil bud, side shoot bud
- Glossary category: Plant biology
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

An axillary bud is a small meristem in the axil, the upper angle where a leaf [petiole](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/petiole.md) meets the stem. Every node has one (or a pair on opposite-leaved growth). Under [apical dominance](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/apical-dominance.md) most stay small; released, each can grow into a full branch. In flower, axillary buds produce the clusters of [pistillate flowers](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pistillate-flower.md) that make up [bud sites](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bud-site.md) along each branch.

## In practice

When you top a plant, the two axillary buds just below the cut become the new main shoots. When you [lollipop](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/lollipopping.md), you remove low axillary shoots that would only make small, airy buds in shade. When you take a clone, you want a node with healthy axillary buds above the cut.

Many growers write "auxiliary bud". The botanical term is axillary, from axil.

A strong axillary bud next to a weak petiole can be damaged by tearing leaves off rather than cutting them; that is one practical reason for "tuck, don't pluck".

## Don't confuse with

- **Apical meristem**: the bud at the tip of a shoot, not in a leaf axil.
- **Pre-flower**: the first flower that forms at a node, not the bud itself.
- **Bud (flower)**: a mature cluster of flowers; slang reuse of the word.

## Related terms

[Node](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/node.md), [Apical dominance](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/apical-dominance.md), [Apical meristem](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/apical-meristem.md), [Cola](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cola.md)

## Read more

- [Topping: cutting the main tip for more colas](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/training/topping.md)
- [Defoliation and lollipopping: what to remove, when, and the evidence](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/training/defoliation-lollipopping.md)

## Sources

1. Spitzer-Rimon B, Duchin S, Bernstein N, Kamenetsky R. 2019. Architecture and florogenesis in female Cannabis sativa plants. Frontiers in Plant Science 10:350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00350
2. Taiz L, Zeiger E, Møller IM, Murphy A. 2015. Plant Physiology and Development, 6th edition. Sinauer Associates.