# The cloning of apples **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 29, 2002, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cloning-of-apples/126082 "2002-08-29T13:35:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zubrowka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19adc/32.png) [@Zubrowka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zubrowka)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cloning-of-apples/126082/1 "2002-08-29T13:35:30Z")
Just a little smart-ass note to point out that plant do reproduce asexually in the wild (how can it be wild AND asexual beats me though) thus identification could be made to identify a patch or colony and not an individual clone. [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mplantdna.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mplantdna.html) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cloning-of-apples/126082/2 "2002-08-29T21:29:58Z")
Some plants reproduce asexually in the wild, some don’t. It depends on the species and the circumstances. But what the report said was that those plants which do “do the wild thang” can be easily distinguished. ---
**Author:** ![Zubrowka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19adc/32.png) [@Zubrowka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zubrowka)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cloning-of-apples/126082/3 "2002-08-30T13:19:09Z")
But precisely, some plants have both means of reproduction. Things could get sticky if this lead to the imprisonement of an individual. To shag or not to shag. This has been a long debate amongst biologist.