Varastointielimet

Varastointielimet, often translated as storage organs, are specialized plant structures designed to store nutrients, water, or other essential reserves. These organs play a crucial role in a plant's survival, particularly during unfavorable periods such as winter, drought, or dormancy. They can also facilitate vegetative reproduction, allowing the plant to spread or regenerate.

Common examples of storage organs include roots, stems, and leaves that have been modified for this purpose. Storage roots, such as those found in carrots and sweet potatoes, are enlarged primary or secondary roots that accumulate carbohydrates and other food reserves. Modified stems include tubers like potatoes, which are swollen underground stems storing starch, and rhizomes, horizontal underground stems like those in ginger, which store nutrients and can also function in propagation. Bulbs, such as in onions and tulips, are short stems with fleshy leaves that store food. Corms, like gladiolus, are also swollen underground stems, but they are typically solid and store food reserves. In some cases, even leaves can be modified for storage, as seen in the fleshy leaves of succulents or the bulb scales of onions. The specific type of storage organ and the substances stored within them are adaptations to the plant's environment and life cycle.