Difference between tuber and onion

Interesting facts about onions and tubers

The scientist speaks of metamorphoses when one or more basic organs of a plant thicken in order to store nutrients in them. The basic organs are roots, shoot axes (stems) and leaves.

Thickened roots or shoot axes are tubers, while a combination of thickened leaves and stems Onions are. There are both bulbs and Flower bulbs as well as vegetable tubers and vegetable onions. By the way: Beets are a combination of roots and shoot axes, so they are not tubers.

You certainly know the most famous tuber, it is the potato. Dahlias have tubers. Daffodils, crocuses and onions are bulbous plants.

Differences between storage organs

In contrast to onions, tubers consist of one piece. Except potatoes Radishes, gladioli, dahlias and garden anemones also belong to the tuber family.

Onions always consist of different layers. They are usually structured like the kitchen onion. They have superimposed layers of thickened leaves. Garlic is also an onion, the individual cloves consist of a leaf that surrounds an axis of the stem. A little-known onion is the vegetable fennel.

If tubers have eyes, that is, knots with the plant to form new shoot axes, you can grow new plants from them. A new plant develops for each eye. You can therefore divide them and grow several plants from one tuber.

Onions always contain the complete system of a new plant. The stem axis is stuck between the storage leaves. You cannot divide an onion in order to grow several plants from it.

Since tubers build a new plant from the point of vegetation, bulbous plants need a lot of nutrients. They quickly form a root system to supply the young plant from the ground. Fertilizing when planting ensures vigorous plants.

The young plant is already contained in the onion. You can go through their development fertilizer not affect. It is sufficient if you supply the onions with nutrients later. These benefit the next generation.

Differences between onions and tubers

tuber	onion
consists of roots or shoot axes	consists of stem and leaves
uniform mass	different layers recognizable
multiple vegetation points (eyes)	no visible vegetation points
Divisible to get multiple plants	indivisible
usually blooms late	usually Early bloomer
Start fertilization useful	later fertilizing is sufficient

As you can see, there are significant differences between onions and tubers. You can recognize tubers most clearly at the vegetation points. They have several and germinate in different places. Onions always sprout from the center.