Flower bulbs – or are they corms, tubers, rhizomes or rootstocks?

Most people don’t know it but what we often call ‘flower bulbs’ could also be corms, tubers, rhizomes or rootstocks. People just refer to all of them as flower bulbs. This is not so surprising, though. After all, they are often planted at the same time of year. They are all purchased as dry products in a bag or box. True flower bulbs as well as corms, tubers, rhizomes and rootstocks all look rather alike as well.

All of them contain food reserves that enable them to grow and bloom after being planted. A rhizome, however, has a different appearance: this is actually a thickened underground stem that usually grows horizontally. The tip of the rootstock often bends upward and forms a new plant there.

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