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How do corms differ from bulbs?

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Study the different ways mushrooms release spores and watch mold hyphae spread across bread — Reproduction Fungi produce billions of spores that give rise to new generations of fungi.

While both corms and bulbs are modified underground stems used for food storage and vegetative reproduction, they differ significantly in their internal structure and composition.12

Composition: A corm is a solid, vertical, fleshy stem. In contrast, only a small portion of a bulb consists of stem tissue; the bulk of a bulb is composed of fleshy, overlapping leaf bases that serve as food reserves.12
Internal Appearance: When a corm is cut in half, it appears solid and lacks the visible rings found in bulbs. Bulbs, particularly those like the onion, are characterized by these distinct, fleshy layers.132
External Features: Corms are typically covered by a fibrous tunic. Bulbs may be covered by a thin, papery tunic or, in the case of scaly bulbs like lilies, consist of naked, overlapping storage leaves that appear as a series of angular scales.13

Both structures enable plants to survive unfavorable conditions and produce new individuals—corms through the development of daughter cormels and bulbs through the production of secondary bulbs.12