The word bulb to a plant enthusiast can mean so many things. It is used as a generic catch-all term.
Gardeners use the word "bulb" to refer to any plant that stores energy for its seasonal dormant cycle in an underground storage organ. Basically, it’s about storing food for the winter!
Only some plants have real bulbs and it's a minefield of missing information if you search online.
What growers call bulbs can more technically be divided into five categories:
real light bulbs,
bulbs,
tubers,
rhizomes,
and tuberous roots.
Since this is primarily an Aroid channel, this video looks at what it all means in botanical terms, and then looks at how it relates to Aroids in general.
Regardless of what type of storage organ the plant has, they all serve the same general function. They store food to carry plants through dormancy and to get them going for the next growing season.
True dormancy does not exist in bulbs. Although little or no external growth is visible, a bulb continues to develop internally. In tulips, for example, flower buds form during dormancy. In aroids like Amorphophallus and Sauromatum, a new petiole, the one that holds the leaf, or the peduncle, the one that holds the inflorescence, is prepared, ready for the next active period.
Dormancy is usually caused by external factors such as cold weather or a change in the humidity or dryness of the environment. As growers, we can encourage dormancy by withholding water or digging up and storing the bulb.
Watch the video to continue learning.
The references:
HRH
https://www.rhs.org.uk/?gclidEAIaIQobChMImNCS67W4_AIVibPtCh0TwgDEEAAYASAAEgIm5fD_BwE&gclsrcaw.ds
The Nature of Plants – Craig N. Huegel
https://www.nhbs.com/the-nature-of-plants-an-introduction-to-how-plants-work-book
Ampoules (RHS practices)
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Bulbs-RHS-Practicals-Dorling-Kindersley/30945010304/bd?cm_mmcggl-_-UK_Shopp_Tradestandard-_-product_idUK9780751347234USED-_-keyword&gclidEAIaIQobChMI9Zrbora4_AIVZY9oCR3BMQ94 EAQYAyABEgILJvD_BwE
Plant Systematics – Michael Simpson
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plant-Systematics-Michael-G-Simpson/dp/012374380X
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