What term describes a fleshy underground stem that stores food for some plants, such as a potato?

• A. Tuber
• B. Rhizome
• C. Bulb
• D. Corm

Answer: (A)

Underground storage organs in plants come in different forms, and a tuber is a fleshy underground stem that stores food. A potato is a classic example, formed when the tip of a stolon swells into a tuber that stores starch to nourish the plant and supply energy for new growth. Tubers are stems, not roots, and you can see the buds or “eyes” on them, which can sprout into new shoots. This distinguishes them from other storage structures: rhizomes are horizontal underground stems that run through the soil and produce shoots from their nodes; bulbs are made of layered leaf bases around a short stem; and corms are solid, densely packed stem structures with a protective covering.