Corm: A short, thickened, underground stem that stores food for a plant and can produce new shoots and roots.
Imagine a corm as a plant’s pantry and its seed all rolled into one. A swollen stem, not a root, sits just below the soil surface. Unlike bulbs, which comprise layers, corms are solid. They store nutrients that the plant needs to grow and can also produce new plants. Think of plants like gladiolus or crocus that grow from corms.
You might plant corms directly in the ground in your home garden, much like bulbs. They’ll sprout and grow into beautiful flowers. Corms are a great way to propagate these plants because they can be dug up after flowering, and the smaller cormlets that develop around the main corm can be separated and planted to grow new plants. Remember that while they look like bulbs, they are different, so planting and care might vary slightly depending on the specific plant.
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