Definition

1. Noun:
   • A solid, swollen, underground, bulb-shaped stem or stem base that serves as a reproductive structure: A corm is a modified plant stem that grows underground. It stores food to help the plant survive dormant periods (like winter) and produces new plants.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The gladiolus grows from a corm.
  • Farmers plant corms in the autumn for a spring bloom.
  • Unlike a bulb, a corm is a solid stem structure.

Advanced Usage

• "Cormlet": A small corm that forms around the base of a mature corm.
  • The gardener separated the cormlets to propagate new plants.
• In botanical contexts, a corm is specifically distinguished from similar structures like bulbs (which have layered scales, e.g., an onion) and tubers (which are thickened parts of a stem or root, e.g., a potato).

Variants and Related Words

• Cormous (adj): Describing a plant that has or produces corms.
  • Crocuses are cormous plants.

Synonyms

• Bulb (in general, non-technical usage, though botanically distinct)
• Underground stem
• Storage organ

Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs)

• Corm rot: A disease affecting corms.
  • The crop failed due to widespread corm rot.
• Corm plate: The hardened, disk-like base of a corm where roots emerge.

Noun

1. solid swollen underground bulb-shaped stem or stem base and serving as a reproductive structure