Van Bourgondien

Garden Guide Bulb & Root Types

Bulbs

A true bulb is a thickened, fleshy, and commonly subterranean bud, usually emitting roots from its underside and the stems, flowers, and foliage from the crown. The term “bulb” applies to a large class of flowering and ornamental bulbous- like plants in their dormant condition such as corms, tubers, rhizomes and pips.

Examples: True Bulbs: Lilies, Tulips, Onions
Pips: Lily of the Valley
Tuber: Dahlias

Corms

An underground bulblike portion of the stem of a plant consisting of fleshy tissue with a bud at the top.

Examples: Crocus, Gladiolus, Crocosmia

Fibrous Roots

Mainly consists of threadlike, profusely branched roots with no main or taproot development.

Examples: Coreopsis, Clematis

Tubers

A short, thickened, fleshy part of an underground stem, where new plants develop from buds, or eyes.

Examples: Dahlia, Potato

Rhizomes

An underground stem with branching close to the soil surface. This stem produces roots, stems, leaves and flowers along its length.

Examples: Bearded Iris, Eremurus

Tap Roots

A strong nearly perpendicular main root that carries the plant axis straight into the ground. All other roots of the plant are secondary to it.

Examples: Hibiscus, Lupines

Roots With Eyes

A form of rhizome where the size of the plant grade is determined by the number of buds or eyes. Such as 1 to 2 eye or 2 to 3 eye divisions.

Examples: Astilbe, Dicentra, Hosta, Paeonia

Potted Plants

This is a group of plants that usually transplant better as potted versus bare root, or when the plant is produced from tissue culture.