An enlarged portion of a fleshy underground stem bearing buds is called which storage organ?

An enlarged portion of a fleshy underground stem bearing buds is called which storage organ?

• A. Rhizome
• B. Corm
• C. Tuberous root
• D. Tuber

Answer: (D)

A tuber is an enlarged portion of a fleshy underground stem that stores nutrients and bears buds, called eyes, from which new shoots grow. This combination—being an enlarged underground stem and having buds—defines a tuber, with potato serving as the classic example. In contrast, tuberous roots store food in root tissue and typically don’t carry buds in the same way; rhizomes are horizontal underground stems, and corms are short vertical underground stems with a papery covering. So the description fits a tuber best.

A tuber is an enlarged portion of a fleshy underground stem that stores nutrients and bears buds, called eyes, from which new shoots grow. This combination—being an enlarged underground stem and having buds—defines a tuber, with potato serving as the classic example.

In contrast, tuberous roots store food in root tissue and typically don’t carry buds in the same way; rhizomes are horizontal underground stems, and corms are short vertical underground stems with a papery covering. So the description fits a tuber best.