budding off

Verb

bud off (third-person singular simple present buds off, present participle budding off, simple past and past participle budded off)

1. Of a bud, to split from its parent and form a new plant, etc.
   • A young Martian, there can now be no dispute, was really born upon earth during the war, and it was found attached to its parent, partially budded off, just as young lily bulbs bud off, or the young animals in the fresh-water polyp.1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 209
2. Of a plant etc., to have a bud split off and form a new plant etc.
   • This sponge reproduces by budding off hundreds of tiny individuals.2001, Julian Sprung, Invertebrates: A Quick Reference Guide, page 23