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How does a bulb differ from a corm, a tuber, and a rhizome?

Many people use the word "bulb" when referring to any underground organ in which a plant stores energy for its dormant (resting) period. Plants enter a dormant stage during inhospitable weather conditions, such as winter cold or summer drought.

A true bulb—consists of overlapping fleshy scales, with a small basal (bottom) plate and a shoot. The basal plate is a modified stem from which the roots and new bulbs emerge, and the shoot is the growth from which the plant develops above ground. The fleshy scales are modified leaves that contain nutrients to sustain the plant during dormancy and early growth. Some bulbs have a paper-thin outer layer of protective leaflike scales. Tulips, daffodils, lilies, and hyacinths are examples of bulb flowers.

A corm—is another type of underground storage tissue that consists of a...

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