Any gardening fan or horticulture will have heard the word “bulb” mention hundreds of times when referring to some types of plants, both ornamental and consumption, and that the bulbs are very present in our daily lives in a great diversity of forms.
If you want to learn more about bulb plants, accompany us in this article in Ecology Verde, in which we will see What are bulbs, their characteristics and examples of plants that have them. Surely many of them already know her!
What are bulbs and their characteristics
The first thing we should know about bulbs is that it is about organs specialized in storage of nutrients and reserve substances That the plant uses for its growth and development, especially when conditions are not favorable.
The bulbs can swell and increase their size, thus accumulating a greater amount of nutrients when the weather allows, to use them when it becomes hostile. This is why the plants with bulbs are very common in areas where the weather has great variability, so that the plant can let its aerial part die while surviving thanks to the underground bulb, from which it later regrets.
The bulb is located underground and acts as the base of the leaves. In addition, the plants that are reproduced by bulbs They can develop lateral yolks, which will eventually become new bulbs and, therefore, new individuals. One of the advantages of Bulb reproduction It is that the young plant remains underground until it is ready to grow, protected. Of course, bulb reproduction is a form of propagation or asexual reproduction, since it is always genetically identical copies of the same plant.
We can also differentiate two greats Types of bulbs:
- The Tunicated bulbsin which the base is made up of superimposed layers on each other, as with the onion, one of the best known edible bulbs.
- The Imbricated bulbsin which the bases follow a provision similar to that of the tiles on a roof, fitting. An example of the latter is the bulbs of lily flowers.
Parts of the bulbs
These are the main parts of a bulb:
- Basal disc: It is a circular area, hence, its name. It is always located at the base of the bulb, and from it the roots arise, which the plant uses to absorb water and nutrients.
- Catafilos, layers or scales: This is the basis of the leaves that are thickened and forms the main part of the bulb volume. It usually has oval or spherical shape, and is responsible for storage of nutrients and reserve substances. Actually, it is only the thickening of different layers or sheets of leaves, depending on the bulb type.
- Tunica: It is an exterior protective layer, which surrounds the bulb to protect it from dehydration.
- Slash and yolks: Like the roots, they start from the basal disc and will give rise, in the case of yolks to new leaves, and in the stem to new bulbs.
Plants with bulbs, apart from this parts in which water and nutrients accumulate, have roots, stems, leaves and flowers. Here you can consult more about the parts of a plant and its functions.
Examples of plants with bulbs
These are some of the best known plants with bulbs:
Onion
You can’t talk about bulbs without mentioning onion, one of the most popular vegetables. A peculiarity of onions is that we cannot consider them in general spring bulbs, summer bulbs, autumn bulbs or winter bulbs, since the optimal planting season of each variety changes considerably depending on whether it is late onions or early onions. Here you can discover the different types of onion.
Garlic
As well as other species related to onion, garlic are also one of the best known bulbs, especially culinary. It is an original bulb of Central Asia, which currently has more than 600 varieties and is of recognized nutritional and medicinal properties. In this other post we tell you how to plant garlic.
Saffron
Saffron bulbs are one of the most appreciated plants everywhere, both for its flowers of striking purple petals, and because of the essence that is extracted from their stigmas. Saffron is commonly called red gold, due to the high price that spice reaches, although half a million flowers are needed only to get 1 kg of this!
Tulip
Another of the examples of bulbs More recognizable is that of tulips. The Tulipanes bulbs became popular greatly since the beginning of the 16th century, when their cultivation extended in northern countries like Holland, where in fact it is currently a national symbol. It is Perennial flower bulbs of the family of the Liliaceas, which have more than 100 species with all kinds of characteristics, colors and patterns in their flowers.
If you like these beautiful flowers as much as we do, do not miss the gardening guides of the tulips that we offer you from Ecology Verde:
- 10 types of tulips.
- When to plant tulips.
- How to plant tulips.
- How to take care of tulips in pot.
- How to keep the bulbs of the tulips.
Lily
The lilies are another well -known bulbous flower, which in some cases can reach heights of almost one meter. Lily bulbs are evergreen, with large, very decorative flowers and also tend to offer a pleasant perfume. Here you can know the different types of lilies.
If you want to discover more, in this other ecology article, we show you 15 bulb plants.
If you want to read more articles similar to BULBS: What are and exampleswe recommend that you enter our biology category.
