corm

/kɔːm/ (bre, ipa) · /kɔːrm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkȯrm/ (ame, mw)

corm — noun

  • cormsingular
  • cormsplural

1. the swollen underground stem of plants such as saffron crocuses and gladioli, wh

1.名詞B2
釋義

the swollen underground stem of plants such as saffron crocuses and gladioli, which stores food and sends up new leaves and flowers each growing season

例句

Wei dug up the gladiolus corms in autumn to store them for winter.

phrasal collocation: dig up [plant] corms

Unlike tulip bulbs, a corm has a solid, fleshy interior with no visible layers.

comparison: corm vs bulb — solid vs layered

同義詞
  • bulb

    commonly confused but botanically distinct — bulb has layers; corm is solid

  • tuber

    a different storage organ — tubers (e.g. potatoes) are enlarged stem tips, not stem bases

用法筆記

Distinguish from bulb: a bulb (like an onion or tulip) has layers of fleshy leaves, whereas a corm is a solid, non-layered stem. Crocuses, gladioli, and taros grow from corms, not bulbs.

常見錯誤

❌I planted gladiolus bulbs in the garden.
✅I planted gladiolus corms in the garden.
💡Gladioli grow from corms (solid, non-layered stems), not from bulbs (layered leaf bases).