Tuber generally refers to an underground storage organ formed from a plant’s stem or, less commonly, its roots. It stores nutrients to help the plant survive adverse conditions and to regrow in the next growing season. Potatoes are the classic example, but tubers also include other plants such as yams and certain ornamental species. Key points
- Structure: A tuber is typically a thickened, fleshy storage stem or rhizome below the soil surface, often bearing buds or eyes from which new shoots can emerge. This distinguishes it from bulbs, which are mainly layered leaves, and from tuberous roots, which are root-based storage structures. [Web sources vary in naming, but the core concept remains consistent across botanical references.]
- Purpose: Its primary function is storage of starches and other nutrients, enabling the plant to overwinter or endure drought, and to regenerate new plants from buds.
- Common examples: Potato (stem tuber), yam (also a stem tuber in many classifications), sweet potato and cassava (often referred to as root tubers, though terminology can vary by author). Definitions sometimes split hairs between stem- versus root-derived storage forms.
- Related terms: The terms tuber, bulb, corm, and rhizome are sometimes used inconsistently in popular writing. In strict botanical usage, tubers are swollen underground storage organs, most commonly derived from stems.
If you’d like, I can tailor this to a specific context (e.g., cooking, gardening, or biology coursework) and provide concise definitions or examples in that context.
