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Bulb

/BULB/
🌳 Plant Types Basic

Also known as: true bulb

A modified underground stem consisting of a short basal plate from which fleshy scale leaves grow, enclosing a central growing point. True bulbs like tulips, onions, and lilies store nutrients in these scales to survive dormancy. Bulbs may be tunicate (with papery outer covering, like onions) or non-tunicate (with exposed fleshy scales, like lilies). The term is often loosely applied to any underground storage organ.

Etymology

Latin bulbus (onion, bulbous root), from Greek bolbos

Example

Tulip bulbs should be planted in autumn at a depth of about three times the bulb's height.