Having bought an unfamiliar orchid, you have to go to the Internet to find out which species/genus a tropical beauty belongs to, how to care for it.
And now, in the description of the structure of this plant, the word “pseudobulba” appears, in another source of information it says “bulba”, in the third “tuberidium”.
Below we will tell you what a pseudobulb and a bulb look like in orchids
cymbidium pseudobulbs: Pseudobulbs vs bulb
First, let’s find out what a pseudobulba and a bulb are and how are they different?
A pseudobulb is a thickened aerial part of the stem of orchids, which serves the plants to store water and nutrients.
Bulba is an underground tuber or bulb (like potato tubers).
The pseudobulb differs from the bulb in that the pseudobulb is above the ground and has a green color.
Since orchids do not have underground tubers or bulbs, they do not have bulbs either, but there are pseudobulbs – aboveground tubers.
It is important to understand that these terms are used only in relation to sympodial orchids.
The sympodial type of plant growth is when several stems grow from a base (rhizome) creeping on the surface of the soil/tree.
Check out Cymbidium Orchid Types.
Orchids are divided into monopodial and sympodial types.
Each stem grows thicker as it grows and can take on a variety of shapes:
- Conical;
- Cylindrical;
- Round;
- Flat.
The size, depending on the species/genus, ranges from a few millimeters to tens of centimeters. In addition to the fact that leaves and then flowers grow on the tops of such formations, they serve as a reservoir for the accumulation of nutrients.
Orchids with bulbs do not grow in all species. In some species, such formations resemble a carrot or sausage:
- Catasetums ;
- Cychnodes;
- Dendrobiums
Others have a spindle:
- Cattleya;
Want to know Bulbophyllum Orchid Plants.
