Hosta Bulbs???

[blonde elf]

Chris, are you there? Long time, no see. I have a question for you and all the hosta experts here.

I work in a garden center where all my co-workers refer to hostas as "bulbs" -- this drives me nutz. They aren't really bulbs, are they?

Thanks for your help and guidance. Glad to see this forum is still here.

Laura (*~*)
(lotsahosta)

[ogrefcf]

No, not bulbs

[Tigger]

In truth they grow from rhizomes, although we more typically call them "crowns," especially when the hosta is a clumping type. So if your co-workers say that bearded iris grow from "bulbs," they're painting all underground structures with the same brush.

David

[kaylyred]

I'll bet the common thread here is that hostas can be shipped bare root. If it's bare root, then in some people's eyes it's a "bulb." (Even when it's not.)

[blonde elf]

Thank you all!

No, they aren't talking about shipping the bare root version -- they call the hosta plants in pots "hosta bulbs" -- cracks me up. I just needed validation that I was right.

(*~*)

[Linda P]

I have heard that from time to time. I've also have people come to my garden who say they didn't know there were
so many kinds of 'elephant ears'. The only thing I've known that's commonly called elephant ears are alocasia or
colocasia, which are bulbs. I know it's a round-about thing, but maybe that's how the word bulb got attached to
hostas? There are no bulbs in hosta.
Oh, and it's good to hear from you!

[Tigger]

Actually, elephant ears grow from corms! It does get confusing. The list of common "true" bulbs is fairly short: lilies, narcissus, tulips, alliums, and amaryllis (hippeastrum). But most people can understandably lump in common corms: allocasia/collocasia, gladiolus, crocosmia, crocus, liatris, dutch iris. These are all fairly happy being harvested and stored dry, where rhizome plants (hostas, peonies, bearded iris) must be kept relatively "fresh."