corm; was RE: Late fall in Maryland

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:13:57 PST
The reason I think Tropaeolum has a tuber is that if you look at 
where the stems emerge from the underground storage structure, you 
will see that they come from different points on it, much like those 
of a potato.  Furthermore, some species of Tropaeolum form such 
storage structures here and there along the roots. Furthermore, to 
quote the entry for the genus in the AGS Encyclopaedia of Alpines (a 
generally reliable work), "The majority are climbing plants, with or 
without tubers, clinging by coiling leaf stalks." The word "tuber" is 
consistently used in the species descriptions that follow.

Jane McGary


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