Which plant is commonly propagated from corms?

Which plant is commonly propagated from corms?

• A. Crocus
• B. Dahlia
• C. Orchid
• D. Fern

Answer: (A)

Corms are compact underground storage organs that many plants use to survive adverse seasons and to produce new growth the next season. They are solid stems with a tunic and have a natural way of multiplying, which makes them easy to propagate by planting the corms or the small offshoots that form around them. Crocus is a classic example of a plant that grows from corms. Gardeners propagate crocus by planting the corms or separating small cormlets that develop around the parent bulb-like structure, then these are kept to sprout into new plants. This contrasts with the other options: dahlias produce tubers rather than corms, so they’re propagated by dividing tubers or cuttings; orchids propagate by division, keikis, or seed rather than using corms; and ferns reproduce mainly by spores or by splitting rhizomes, not by corms. So the plant commonly propagated from corms is the one that naturally uses that underground storage organ for spring growth—crocus.

Corms are compact underground storage organs that many plants use to survive adverse seasons and to produce new growth the next season. They are solid stems with a tunic and have a natural way of multiplying, which makes them easy to propagate by planting the corms or the small offshoots that form around them.

Crocus is a classic example of a plant that grows from corms. Gardeners propagate crocus by planting the corms or separating small cormlets that develop around the parent bulb-like structure, then these are kept to sprout into new plants. This contrasts with the other options: dahlias produce tubers rather than corms, so they’re propagated by dividing tubers or cuttings; orchids propagate by division, keikis, or seed rather than using corms; and ferns reproduce mainly by spores or by splitting rhizomes, not by corms. So the plant commonly propagated from corms is the one that naturally uses that underground storage organ for spring growth—crocus.