Homework help

[piskieinboots]

yer yer I know google is ya friend ....but....
...would you class a Bergonia as a stem or root tuber?

[jackie j]

No idea I am learning as well.

[Flummery]

Some begonias have big tubers, some are fibrous rooted. Depends which you mean.

Blimey, I'm not much help am I?

[SarzWix]

Hmmmm, I'd say root. Dunno if it's right, but that's what I'd say

[piskieinboots]

I'm getting conflicting feedback from books and webbly - I may have to chose another subject item to describe stem...thanks guys

[Snadger]

yer yer I know google is ya friend ....but....
...would you class a Bergonia as a stem or root tuber?

I would class a dahlia and a potatoe as a root tuber which grows after the topgrowth.

Would this not make the likes of begonia corms and gladioli corms stem tubers as they make a new tuber on the stem when original dies?

[piskieinboots]

The difference according to my course notes, which could be wrong....
Stem tubers are organs formed at the end of rhizomes which store food over winter and develop into independent plants in the following year.
Exampes are potatoes and artichokes

Root tubers are organs formed at the end of roots which store food over the winter. Root tubers are usually organs of perennation* only and do not develop into independent plants.
Examples of root tubers are dahlias

*perennation = perennial

[Flummery]

But the small flowering begonias you use as bedding plants for shady areas (Not the big blowsy flowered ones) are actually called fibrous rooted begonias. The big ones sound, from your description, to be root tubers. But then, that's only me.

[piskieinboots]

hum - not overly clear is it....and they expect me to pass in Horticulture!
*wet flannel on forehead