corm

(noun)

a short, vertical, swollen underground stem of a plant that serves as a storage organ to enable the plant to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as drought

Related Terms

Examples of corm in the following topics:

  • Asexual Reproduction in Plants

    • The corm is used by gladiolus and garlic.
    • (a) The corm of a garlic plant looks similar to (b) a tulip bulb, but the corm is solid tissue, while the bulb consists of layers of modified leaves that surround an underground stem.
    • Both corms and bulbs can self-propagate, giving rise to new plants.

  • Stem Modifications

    • Corms are similar to rhizomes, except they are more rounded and fleshy (such as in gladiolus).
    • Corms contain stored food that enables some plants to survive the winter.
    • Shown are (a) ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizomes, (b) a carrion flower (Amorphophallus titanum) corm (c) Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) stolons, (d) strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) runners, (e) potato (Solanum tuberosum) tubers, and (f) red onion (Allium) bulbs.

  • Evolution of Land Plants

    • The area inside the circle contains bulbous underground stems called corms and root-like structures called rhizoids.