Crocus sativus blooming?
Peter Taggart (Sun, 02 Mar 2014 23:23:37 PST)
Thank you John,
It is good to have someone else recognise that there is more distinction
between bulb and corm than the tunic.
How does the 'superficial' formation of the flower bud on a corm shoot
compare to the formation of a flower bud on the basal plate within a bulb,
with regard to the timing during the growth cycle (especially warm Summer
'dormancy'), further development during chilling in winter, and the effect
of growing conditions when rooting takes place and top growth starts?
Peter (UK)
On 2 March 2014 21:27, John Grimshaw <john@oltarakwa.co.uk> wrote:
I think Peter is making a distinction with little difference here: in both
bulbs and corms the flower buds develop on a growth shoot, but in a corm
the
growth bud develops superficially on the swollen stem that forms the
storage
body, whereas in a bulb it grows from the compressed stem found within the
whorls of swollen leaf bases/modified leaves that form the bulb. In
consequence, the development of flower buds in a cormous plant occurs as
the
shoot expands 'once growth resumes', and is thus more visible. Dormancy is
a
difficult word - it is a mistake to think that nothing is happening in the
depths of a bulb in summer, just because nothing can be seen, whereas in
fact the shoot is organising itself to greater or lesser extent.
John Grimshaw