Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between Seeds and Bulbs

Seeds vs Bulbs

Seeds and bulbs are parts of plants that are related to how plants propagate. While most plants usually come from seeds, there are some that comes from bulbs as well. So, exactly what are the differences between the two?

Seeds

Seeds are plant embryos that are covered with a seed coat and some store food. Seeds are formed after the plant has pollinated. They are the final step in the process of plant reproduction. You can practically call them the next generation for that particular plant. Plants that come from seeds are usually annual, biennial, or perennial. Once formed, seeds are distributed through many channels, through air currents, water, or humans for example.

Bulbs

Bulbs are plants that commonly live underground and what shows on the surface are its leaves. Examples of bulbs are potatoes and other tubers. Bulbs are perennial plants, meaning that when they ‘die’ during the winter months, they grow back through their root stock. In totality, a bulb can be called as a structure that stores the whole life-cycle of a plant.

Difference between Seeds and Bulbs

Seeds and bulbs are similar in the way that within them is the necessary things a plant must have in order to spread itself and continue to survive. It’s just that while a plant needs to technically die to produce a seed, bulbs do not need to ‘die’ in order to continue its life. Seeds can also lie dormant for a long time before showing signs of germination that is why they don’t need much special care in their cultivation. Bulbs are already active plants and that is why more care is needed in their planting. That being said, however, bulbs are actually easier to transfer compared to seeds.

Bulbs and seeds are necessary for a plant’s survival and propagation. Thus, it is somewhat necessary to know how they work in order to effectively take care of them.

In brief:

• Seeds are embryos of plants that is basically contained in a layer of food and covered by a seed coat. They can lie dormant for a longer time however their transport needs careful maneuvering.

• Bulbs can be thought of as a plant structure that is basically its whole lifecycle. They are perennial plants, meaning that after winter, new plants just row from the root base.