Re: [aroid-l] tubers vs. bulbs vs. corms

From: Iza & Carol Goroff goroff at idcnet.com> on 2003.05.08 at 17:01:42(10216) I think the appropriate way to distinguish between "tuber" and "corm" is that a tuber is a modified rhizome (a horizontal underground stem) and a corm is a modified vertical stem. A tuber may produce roots or buds at any point on its surface whereas a corm retains an approximate cylindrical symmetry (except when splitting) with a cental bud and with roots produced at the edge of a circle, usually at its base. I think the so-called "consensus" was incorrect. Iza Goroff +More Whitewater Wisconsin USA zone 4b Jonathan Ertelt wrote: > Several years back there was some extended discussion on this listserve > whether or not we were talking about tubers or corms when we were > discussing both Amorphophallus and Arisaema. (It may be that bulb came up > as a possibility also, but that is so obviously incorrect that I don't > really recall.) The consensus wound up favoring tuber as the correct term, > though I was never thoroughly convinced, nor did I get into the discussion > much. At any rate, both these structures, i.e. tubers and corms, are > modified stems.

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