EXERCISE XI 



A STUDY OF CORMS 



Material and apparatus. Corms of the gladiolus and the 

 crocus ; sharp knife. 



A corm is a bulblike organ, differing from a bulb in being solid 

 throughout and not composed of fleshy scales. Cormous plants 

 are multiplied in essentially the same way as are bulbous plants. 





FIG. 5. Corms of the gladiolus, showing the cormels, or the 

 little conns, about the parent 



1. Study the corm of the gladiolus and the crocus. Make a 

 natural-size drawing of each of the corms. What external differ- 

 ences do you note ? Remove the outer husk and note the lines 

 surrounding the corm. Discuss how a corm grows. 



2. Draw a cross section, natural size, of both of the corms. 

 How do they differ from the bulbs in Exercise X ? Is the 

 shape of the corm the same as that of the bulb? Look for 

 the central axis. Is this differentiated from the main body of the 

 corm? Carefully examine the corm for eyes. Discuss fully. 



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