diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Feature/Vector.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Feature/Vector.js
index 998d312e0e..e969f82123 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Feature/Vector.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Feature/Vector.js
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ OpenLayers.Feature.Vector = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Feature, {
         OpenLayers.Feature.prototype.initialize.apply(this,
                                                       [null, null, attributes]);
         this.lonlat = null;
-        this.geometry = geometry;
+        this.geometry = geometry ? geometry : null;
         this.state = null;
         this.attributes = {};
         if (attributes) {
@@ -113,9 +113,10 @@ OpenLayers.Feature.Vector = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Feature, {
      * {<OpenLayers.Feature.Vector>} An exact clone of this vector feature.
      */
     clone: function () {
-        return new OpenLayers.Feature.Vector(this.geometry.clone(),
-                                             this.attributes,
-                                             this.style);
+        return new OpenLayers.Feature.Vector(
+            this.geometry ? this.geometry.clone() : null,
+            this.attributes,
+            this.style);
     },
 
     /**
diff --git a/tests/Feature/Vector.html b/tests/Feature/Vector.html
index 1e7aadb9c1..8cdb92e6ee 100644
--- a/tests/Feature/Vector.html
+++ b/tests/Feature/Vector.html
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
     }
     
     function test_Feature_Vector_clone(t) {
-        t.plan(5);
+        t.plan(6);
 
         var geometry = new OpenLayers.Geometry.Point(Math.random(),
                                                      Math.random());
@@ -79,6 +79,11 @@
              "geometry.x property set properly");
         t.eq(clone.geometry.y, geometry.y,
              "geometry.y property set properly");
+
+        feature = new OpenLayers.Feature.Vector();
+        clone = feature.clone();
+        t.ok(clone instanceof OpenLayers.Feature.Vector,
+             "clone can clone geometry-less features");
     }