RHIZOMES 



81 



borne near the base of the parent bulb. In some of the lilies 

 the bulbels form at the top or crown of the parent bulb; in 

 other cases they form on the lower part of the flower stalk, 

 while in still others they are always borne beneath the scale 

 leaves of the parent. Bulbels vary greatly in their size and 

 number in the different species. 



Corm. — A corm is a short, thick and fleshy stem which is 

 solid throughout. A vertical axis fills the center. The corm 

 is covered with a few thin, scaly 

 leaves. Corms are always sub- 

 terranean. In general shape and 

 appearance a corm resembles a 

 bulb. Common examples of a 

 corm are the gladiolus, the crocus, 

 the cyclamen, and the Indian 

 turnip. The corms of the differ- 

 ent species often behave quite 

 differently. The corms of the 

 gladiolus and the crocus are re- 

 produced annually upon the top 

 and at the sides of the parent. 

 As a rule a new corm is produced 

 above the old one each year, 

 which commonly bears flowers 

 the following year. 



Rhizomes. — Rhizomes are sub- 

 terranean stems bearing scale 

 leaves. They grow more or less 

 horizontally and the internodes 

 vary in length and in thickness; 

 they bear roots at the nodes. 

 Every species has a type of rhi- 

 zome peculiar to itself. Familiar examples of rhizomes are 

 the slender root, stocks of the mints and the thick, fleshy ones 

 of the canna and the iris. Rhizomes are easily distinguished 

 from roots by the leaf scales in the axils of which are borne 

 buds. In the majority of cases the buds of a rhizome are 

 exceedingly tenacious of life, making the plants bearing them 

 difficult to destroy and the propagation of the plant extremely 

 6 



Fig. 26.- 



-Side and top views 

 of a corm. 



