Corm

Corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat.

Description

A corm consists of one or more internodes with at least one growing point, generally with protective leaves modified into skins or tunics. The tunic of a corm forms from dead petiole sheaths, remnants of leaves produced in previous years. They act as a covering, protecting the corm from insects, digging animals, flooding, and water loss. The tunics of some species are also reticulate (net-like).

Function

Corms serve as a storage organ during periods of dormancy. This allows the plant to survive adverse conditions such as winter, drought, or heat.

Examples

Some plants that develop corms include the crocus, gladiolus, and taro. Many of these are grown for their flowers, which appear from late winter to early spring in temperate climates.

See also

• Bulb
• Tuber
• Rhizome

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