Geophyte

John Bryan johnbryan@worldnet.att.net
Fri, 02 Sep 2005 11:40:39 PDT
Dear All:

In the Dictionary of Botany, a geophyte is a plant with its perenniating
buds situated below ground on a rhizome, tuber, bulb or corm. A
cryptophyte  is a plant with its perenniating buds hidden below ground
or in water, (hydrophyte) and are more common in arctic and temperate
regions. A helophyte is a marsh plant with its perenniating buds
situated in the mud at the bottom of a lake or pond. 

While these may have perenniating buds hidden, and thus survive, only if
the buds are on a rhizome, tuber, bulb or corm are they geophytes.

For many years, such plants as Kniphofia and Liatris were raised mainly
by perennial nurseries and not as much by bulb growers. Consequently
they were often not thought of as Geophytes, even though they are. As to
having non geophytes discussed I see a problem, just where would one
draw the line?. The point raised by at once associating a member of a
large bulb family and presuming a plant is a geophyte simply because it
is in that genus is a valid point, but not germane. A geophyte does not
become one by association. Cheers, John E. Bryan


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