4 Different Bulb Types
There are 4 different types of plant bulb, namely True Bulbs, Corms, Tubers and Rhizomes. Although they are not the same in appearance all bulbs store food for the plant and have roots to anchor the plant and absorb water and nutrients from the soil.
True Bulbs
These are rounded with a pointed top and a flat base from which the roots grow. The inner scales of the bulb is where nourishment for the plant is stored. Flowering plants that have True Bulbs are Daffodils, Hyacinths, Tulips, Lilies and Alliums.
Many ‘underground storage’ structures are also called bulbs but they are not True Bulbs, these include:-
Corms:
Which look like True Bulbs but are solid inside. Plants grown from Corms spread rapidly, like Crocosmia, Gladiolas, Crocus, Freesias, Rananculus, Tritonia, and Oxalis. Small Corms are planted about 5cm deep. Clumps can be dug up and replanted to develop new plants
Tubers:
Unlike a Corm or Bulb, Tubers produce nodes (eyes) all over the surface which will grow up through the soil to form stems and down into the soil as roots.. They can be propagated by planting a piece of the Tuber that has at least two healthy nodes in soil from which a new plant will develop. Daylilies ( which have tuberous roots), Dahlias, Cyclamen, and Anemone Blanda are examples of this type of ‘bulb’.
Rhizomes:
These are a type of ‘bulb’ that consists of an ‘underground’ stem which stores plant food and sprouts new growth, large roots from established rhizomes are visible as they get pushed out of the soil. These are easily pulled apart to create new plants. The most common plants that have Rhizomes are Iris, Japanese Anemones, and Calla Lilies (which has thick fleshy roots).
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