Do Plants That Grow From Bulbs Make Seeds?
Bulbs are thickened plant bases that sprout roots and stems for a new plant. Plants that grow from bulbs can often produce seeds, although those seeds may not be useful in growing new plants. Does this Spark an idea?
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Features
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Bulbs produce plants that flower and often produce seedheads. Many seedheads are decorative, like with garlic, but rarely produce fertile seeds. They do not carry the plant's genetic traits needed to grow another plant. Other bulbs, like onion plants, produce plant seeds that scatter freely in the garden and grow into new plants.
Self-Seed
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Bulb plants like chives and onions thrive in home gardens and yield seeds that, when left on the plant, self-sow for the next season. Flowering spring lilies may reseed themselves, but the bulb putting energy into seed production does not produce as many flowers.
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Considerations
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When seeds from bulb plants are viable, they may produce new plants but are hard to grow. The bulb quickly grows into a plant, as it is already partly grown, while a seed must germinate, grow into a seedling and form a bulb that then grows into the plant.
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References
- Photo Credit Martin Poole/Digital Vision/Getty Images
