Layering can refer to two different processes: one in horticulture and the other in the context of money laundering.
Horticultural Layering
Layering in horticulture is a method of plant propagation where a new plant remains at least partially attached to the mother plant while forming new roots. This process can occur naturally when a branch touches the ground and produces roots, or it can be induced by horticulturists to propagate desirable plants. Some key points about horticultural layering include:
- The branch of a tree or plant produces roots and is separated from the original plant, becoming a new, separate plant.
- Natural layering typically occurs when a branch touches the ground, where it produces adventitious roots. At a later stage, the connection with the parent plant is severed, and a new plant is produced as a result.
- Layering is more complicated than taking cuttings but has the advantage that the propagated portion continues to receive water and nutrients from the parent plant while it is forming roots.
- There are different types of layering techniques, including tip, simple, compound (serpentine), mound (stool), and air layering, each suitable for different plant species.
Layering in Money Laundering
In the context of money laundering, layering is the second of the three stages of money laundering. During the layering stage, successive layers of legitimacy are added to the initially placed funds, obscuring the source of the gains from authorities to be undetected as ever having been illegal. Some common examples of layering include changing the nature of the assets, such as cash, gold, casino chips, real estate, and using complex schemes involving a series of transactions and movement of funds between countries to make tracking money through each layer more difficult.
In summary, layering can refer to the propagation of plants in horticulture, where a new plant forms roots while still attached to the parent plant, or it can refer to the process of adding successive layers of legitimacy to funds in money laundering to obscure their illegal source.
