Material and apparatus. Corms of the gladiolus and the crocus; sharp knife.

A corm is a bulblike organ, differing from a bulb in being solid throughout and not composed of fleshy scales. Cormous plants are multiplied in essentially the same way as are bulbous plants.

Fig. 5. Corms of the gladiolus, showing the cormels, or the little corms, about the parent.

1. Study the corm of the gladiolus and the crocus. Make a natural-size drawing of each of the corms. What external differences do you note? Remove the outer husk and note the lines surrounding the corm. Discuss how a corm grows.

2. Draw a cross section, natural size, of both of the corms. How do they differ from the bulbs in Exercise X? Is the shape of the corm the same as that of the bulb? Look for the central axis. Is this differentiated from the main body of the corm? Carefully examine the corm for eyes. Discuss fully.