Dear All: Jim McKenney's e-mail, raises some interesting points. A geophyte is described in the dictionary of botany as "A plant with its perenniatinbg buds situated below ground on a rhizome, tuber, bulb or corm". Thus it is correct to use this word, but we have, over the years, used the word bulb, in the broad sense to include rhizomes, tubers, corms and bulbs. A true bulb is where leaves are modified for storage, corm n underground swollen stem, tuber a swollen part of a stem or root modified for storage, but can be above ground, as in some Pelargonium species, rhizome an underground stem that grows horizontally. In some plants the rhizomes are cordlike, such as in Urtica dioica while in others they are fleshy and serve as perennation such as in Polygonatum multiflorum. Thus it can be called a geophyte. a stolon is actually a long branch which can not support its own weight and new plants form at the nodes. A stolon is not a geophyte. But it becomes more complicated as a cryptophyte is a plant where the perenniating buds are hidden below ground or in water, (when it is a hydrophyte). Cryptophytes can thus include geophytes, and is a broader term, and thus covers more genera. I have not seen this term used in any postings!! For my part, and in my opinion, the word 'bulb' in sensu lato, covers much with the sensu stricta referring to the organ either underground or not, in water, in mud (strictly a helophyte) of the species in question. I am afraid many gardeners interested in bulbs wonder what we are talking about when we say and use the word geophyte. Bulb is in common usage, geophyte is not. If we persist in being accurate, then the words helophyte, crytophyte, hydrophyte and so on should be used where appropriate. do we wish to do this? Geophyte thus has no more standing than bulb, if we continue to use this, should we also then not use cryptophyte etc.? An interesting discussion, thanks Jim McKenney. it is obvious you love 'Bulbs' sensu lato! Cheers, John E. Bryan