bulb
Enable an AI agent to recognise a botanical bulb, assess its viability and developmental state, and decide whether to retain, plant, store, divide or investigate it.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex + Grok
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise a botanical bulb, assess its viability and developmental state, and decide whether to retain, plant, store, divide or investigate it.
A bulb is a specialized underground shoot of some monocotyledonous plants, consisting of a short basal stem (the basal plate) bearing a terminal bud and one or more fleshy leaf bases or scale leaves that store food, from which the plant can grow after dormancy.
It can be Inspect and document anatomical evidence to classify the storage organ and estimate identification confidence.; Monitor bulb dimensions, mass and tissue condition using comparable observations.; Choose planting or continued storage conditions using verified identity and developmental evidence.; Separate suitable offsets when their anatomy, condition and identity-specific requirements support it.; Isolate a suspect bulb from shared stock and seek diagnosis when deterioration or pest evidence warrants investigation.; Defer potentially damaging handling or propagation when viability, identity or seasonal requirements remain unresolved..
Distinguishing features
Look for fleshy scales or leaf bases arranged around buds on a shortened stem or basal plate; an approximately bulb-shaped outline alone is insufficient.
Distinguish a true bulb from a corm by whether storage is principally in fleshy leaf tissues rather than a solid swollen stem.
Distinguish a bulb from a stem tuber by its organisation around a basal plate and scales rather than a swollen stem bearing distributed buds or eyes.
Distinguish a bulb from a rhizome by its compact scale-bearing organisation rather than an elongated stem with successive nodes.
Distinguish a bulb from a tuberous root by evidence of stem and bud organisation within the storage structure; roots or an outer tunic alone do not establish bulb identity.
Scope
+ Bulb identity and anatomical evidence, including the basal plate, fleshy scales or leaf bases, and renewal buds
+ Integrity, reserves, hydration and evidence of viability
+ Dormancy, rooting, shoot emergence and renewal state
+ Attached offsets and their readiness for separation
+ Conditions and constraints governing planting, storage, handling and propagation
- Electric light bulbs and other manufactured objects named for their shape
- Whole-plant architecture and lifecycle beyond their relationship to the bulb
- Corms, stem tubers, rhizomes and tuberous roots as independently modelled organs
- Soil, growing media, gardens and storage facilities as independent things
- Pathogens, pests and diseases as independently modelled biological entities
- Food products, recipes and medicinal preparations made from bulbs
Characteristics
- Botanical identity and confidence
- Taxon or candidate taxa; confirmed, provisional or unknown; evidence basis Interpretation of anatomy, seasonal state and permissible handling depends on identity.
- Storage-organ classification
- True bulb, suspected bulb, other storage organ or unresolved Prevents care and propagation decisions from being applied to a different kind of organ.
- Scale and covering arrangement
- Tunicate, scaly or unresolved; covering intact, partly absent or absent Supports recognition and interpretation of exposed tissue and handling vulnerability.
- Bulb dimensions
- Height and maximum transverse diameter in mm; measurement date and method Records size and change without assuming that size alone proves maturity or flowering readiness.
- Bulb mass
- g; measurement date and whether roots, offsets, soil or coverings were included Comparable measurements can reveal changes requiring investigation of hydration, reserve use or tissue loss.
- Basal plate and scale integrity
- Intact, wounded, missing tissue, deteriorating or unassessed; location and extent Damage location affects survival prospects and the feasibility of planting or separation.
- Tissue condition
- Observed firmness, shrivelling, softening, discoloration and exudate; assessed tissue and method Separates visible symptoms from unverified explanations such as dehydration or infection.
- Bud, root and shoot activity
- Presence, count where observable, condition and emergence stage recorded separately Distinguishes visible inactivity from active growth without equating inactivity with death.
- Dormancy assessment
- Suspected dormant, supported dormant, active or unresolved; evidence and observation date Supports timing decisions while retaining uncertainty about the cause of absent growth.
- Parent and offset connections
- Linked parent or offset identifiers; attachment location, connection condition and separation history Defines the individual under assessment and preserves propagation provenance.
- Environmental exposure history
- Linked records of temperature, moisture, ventilation and exposure duration during growth or storage Provides context for condition changes and any identity-specific treatment requirements.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.bulb-2
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 5 bundles · 9 layers · 16 findings · 28 questions.
Bulb identity and anatomy Evidence that the thing is a botanical bulb and that its observed parts support the proposed identity.
A rounded storage organ or a common name does not establish bulb anatomy or justify bulb-specific actions.
Storage-organ recognition
Recognition through the organisation of storage tissues, stem tissue and buds.
Evidence for a true bulb
Record observed scales or fleshy leaf bases, basal plate and buds, distinguishing observations from inferred internal anatomy.
- What visible or previously documented anatomy supports classification as a true bulb? definition
- What evidence distinguishes this specimen from a corm, stem tuber, rhizome or tuberous root? boundary
- Can the necessary evidence be obtained without cutting living storage tissue? action
Identity and covering
Taxonomic attribution and interpretation of the bulb's scales and external covering.
Identity supported by evidence
Record candidate identity, supporting labels or parent-plant observations, and whether the covering matches that interpretation.
- Does the proposed identity come from a supplier label, a known parent plant, diagnostic observation or an unverified name? provenance
- Is the scale and covering arrangement consistent with the proposed identity, or is identification still unresolved? definition
Storage tissue and viability Condition of the tissues needed to sustain the bulb and support renewed growth.
A bulb can retain its outline despite internal deterioration, while an inactive bulb may remain viable.
Reserve and hydration evidence
Comparable observations of storage-tissue fullness and change.
Storage-tissue condition
Record mass, dimensions, firmness and shrivelling as evidence requiring contextual interpretation rather than direct measurements of stored energy.
- What are the bulb's mass, dimensions and tissue firmness under a documented measurement method? measurement
- How have these observations changed during storage or growth, accounting for removed tissue, roots and offsets? measurement
Damage and deterioration
Location and progression of injuries or symptoms affecting storage tissues and renewal structures.
Critical-tissue integrity
Record damage to the basal plate, buds and scales, retaining uncertainty about its cause and effect on viability.
- Which tissues show wounds, softening, discoloration, pest damage or loss, and what proportion is affected? measurement
- What evidence supports retaining, isolating or seeking diagnosis for this bulb before planting or propagation? action
- Which apparent defects may be normal dry coverings rather than deterioration of living tissue? boundary
Dormancy and growth readiness The bulb's present growth activity and the evidence needed to choose its next growing or storage conditions.
Absent shoots alone cannot establish dormancy, death or readiness for a particular treatment.
Renewal activity
Observable development of roots and renewal shoots.
Root and bud state
Record root activity, bud condition and shoot emergence separately, including which structures cannot be observed.
- Are roots or shoots emerging, elongating, deteriorating or absent from view? measurement
- What observations and seasonal history support a dormancy assessment rather than unexplained inactivity? definition
Environmental history and next step
Past exposures and identity-specific requirements relevant to continued storage or planting.
Supported growth transition
Record the evidence for timing and environmental conditions needed for the next intended growth stage.
- What temperature and moisture exposures has this bulb experienced, and for how long? provenance
- What verified requirements for this identity and stage support planting, continued storage or a temperature treatment? action
- What evidence would be needed before treating bulb size or a visible shoot as evidence of flowering readiness? boundary
Offsets and intervention The bulb's connections to other growth units and the consequences of handling or propagation.
Attached offsets complicate individual identity, and separation can damage tissues required by either resulting unit.
Individual and offset boundaries
The boundary between a single bulb, its attached offsets and a multi-bulb clump.
Connected growth units
Record distinct bulb units, their attachments and the evidence for recognising an offset separately.
- Is the assessed thing one bulb, a bulb with attached offsets or a clump requiring separate individual records? boundary
- Which offsets have distinguishable basal tissue, buds or roots, and how are they connected to the parent? measurement
Handling and propagation decisions
Evidence and constraints governing separation, planting orientation and tissue disturbance.
Intervention readiness
Record whether the proposed operation is supported for the bulb's identity, anatomy, condition and current stage.
- What evidence supports separating an offset now, and what tissues must each resulting unit retain? action
- Can the basal plate and shoot end be located well enough to support the proposed planting orientation? action
- Which handling or propagation steps should be deferred because identity, tissue integrity or seasonal suitability remains uncertain? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- true bulb (tunicate)
- true bulb (imbricate / non-tunicate)
- bulbils / bulblets
- onion-type (Allium) food bulbs
- tulip / hyacinth ornamental bulbs
- lily-type scaly bulbs
- forced / pre-chilled commercial bulbs
- wild geophyte bulbs
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of bulb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Wikidata - Q190245 - Item for the botanical organ 'bulb' (not the electric lamp).
- PO (Plant Ontology) - PO:0025271 - Plant Ontology term 'bulb'; confirm against current PO release before citing as a product code.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of bulb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- IPPC / FAO ISPMs governing international movement of plants for planting, including bulbs as regulated articles (e.g. ISPM 5 glossary; pest-risk and phytosanitary certification).
- EU Plant Health Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 and related implementing acts: many ornamental and Allium bulbs are plants for planting subject to phytosanitary certificates and, for some genera, protected-zone or RNQP rules.
- UNECE agricultural quality standards for bulbs, onions and related produce (trade quality, not botanical definition).
- National seed/planting-material schemes (e.g. Dutch NAK/BKD flower-bulb inspection; APHIS/USDA import permits for bulbs).
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of bulb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Food: onion, garlic, shallot and related Allium bulbs as vegetables and flavouring.
- Ornamental horticulture: tulip, daffodil, hyacinth, lily, crocus-trade often lumped as 'bulbs' even when some are corms.
- Forcing and cut-flower production: pre-cooled tulip and hyacinth bulbs for greenhouse flowering.
- Wild geophytes as forage, traditional food or conservation targets (e.g. some Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae).
- Propagation stock: commercial bulb production, offsets, bulbils; also a pathway for soil-borne pests and viruses in trade.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of bulb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- bulb circumference (trade size) - 6-14 (species-dependent; tulip often 10-12+) - cm
- fresh mass of a mature planting bulb - 5-150 (onion and large lily toward the high end) - g
- dry-matter / storage-carbohydrate content - 10-40 - % fresh mass
- chilling / vernalization requirement for flowering - 4-16 weeks at ~1-9 - weeks at °C
- planting depth (to basal plate) - 5-20 (often 2-3× bulb height) - cm
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of bulb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Basal rot, neck rot, Botrytis 'fire', Fusarium, and storage moulds destroying the bulb in ground or store.
- Virus complexes (e.g. tulip breaking virus, onion yellow dwarf) spread by aphids and by vegetative propagation.
- Nematodes, mites (e.g. bulb mite Rhizoglyphus), and Narcissus fly larvae in bulbs.
- Physiological failure: lack of cold, premature sprouting, 'blind' (non-flowering) bulbs, freeze-thaw damage.
- Ingestion hazard: many ornamental bulbs (Narcissus, Hyacinthus, Colchicum, some Lilium) are toxic to humans and especially cats; confusion with onions in kitchens.
- Invasive or weedy escape of planted geophytes; phytosanitary interceptions in international bulb trade.
- Allergenic contact dermatitis from handling hyacinth and tulip bulbs (tulipalin).
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of bulb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- English 'bulb' in garden centres often includes corms (crocus, gladiolus), tubers and rhizomes; botanical 'true bulb' is narrower.
- Dutch flower-bulb industry (Keukenhof / BKD sizing by circumference in centimetres) dominates ornamental trade vocabulary worldwide.
- Allium food bulbs: 'shallot', 'multiplier onion', 'potato onion' and regional landraces named inconsistently across Europe, South Asia and East Asia.
- South African and Mediterranean geophyte floras use 'bulb' for many Amaryllidaceae that horticulture may also call 'amaryllis' or 'nerine'.
- Some languages distinguish tunicate food bulbs from scaly lily bulbs more sharply than English garden usage does.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of bulb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- corm - A corm is a swollen solid stem with nodes and a papery tunic; a true bulb is mostly leaf-scale tissue around a small basal plate. Vertical section: solid stem vs layered scales.
- tuber - A tuber is a swollen stem (potato) or root (dahlia, sweet potato) without a basal plate of concentric fleshy leaves; eyes/buds are axillary, not a single terminal bud on a plate.
- rhizome - A rhizome is a horizontal stem with internodes growing at or below the soil surface (iris, ginger); a bulb is a condensed vertical shoot.
- pseudobulb - An orchid pseudobulb is a thickened aerial or terrestrial stem internodes, not a subterranean leaf-storage organ with a basal plate.
- incandescent / LED lamp ('light bulb') - Unrelated artefact; domain PHY.LIV and plant-anatomy identifiers (Wikidata Q190245, PO:0025271) versus electrical-device items.
- bulb of the penis / olfactory bulb / hair bulb - Homonymous anatomical terms in animals; not a plant storage organ. Context and organism separate them.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of bulb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Sources
- Bulb - Botanical definition of a true bulb versus other storage organs; tunicate vs scaly structure.
- Bulbs - Horticultural kinds, planting practice, and distinction from corms, tubers and rhizomes.
- bulb (Q190245) - Identifier for the plant organ concept.
- ISPM 33: Pest free potato (Solanum spp.) micropropagative material and minitubers for international trade - Plant-health trade context for vegetative planting material (related, not bulb-specific).
What the second pass must settle
- Does vr.tr.bulb specifically denote a true botanical bulb, or does the registry intend a broader horticultural category containing other underground storage organs?
- Does an existing Vercy world model already own botanical bulbs or their relevant storage-organ concept, requiring this registry entry to link to it?
- Which identity-specific evidence reliably distinguishes dormancy, dehydration and loss of viability without destructive inspection?
- Which authoritative sources establish planting, storage, temperature-treatment and offset-separation requirements for the taxa this entry must cover?
- How should continuity of an individual bulb be recorded when renewal, replacement or offset development changes the boundaries of the original structure?