Tuber Versus Bulb
Posted: October 10, 2011
Good examples of bulbs include tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, grape hyacinths (muscari), alliums, and lilies.
Information from University of Illinois Extension
A tuber differs from the true bulb and the corm by not having a basal plant from which roots develop and not having a protective tunic covering.
The caladium tuber has buds scattered over the tuber surface from which shoots and roots develop. Examples of plants that develop from tubers include caladiums, oxalis and anemones, and the common vegetable, the potato.
The tuberous root differs from other root structures by the nutrient reserves being stored in an actual root instead of an enlarged stem.
The dahlia reproduces from buds at the top end of the root or base of the stem.
The tuberous root of a dahlia should not be divided before placing in storage in the fall but should be divided at planting time. The root should be divided into sections with an eye bearing portion of the stem left with each section of the root.
The true bulb has five major parts. It contains the basal plate (bottom of bulb from which roots grow), fleshy scales (primary storage tissue),tunic (skin-like covering that protects the fleshy scales), the shoot (consisting of developing flower and leaf buds), and lateral buds (develop into bulblets or offsets).
This article is found in the Bloom 'n News, Volume 13 Issue 4.
