protocormn.
/ˈprəʊtə(ʊ)kɔːm/, U.S. /ˈproʊdoʊˌkɔrm/ Botany.
In clubmosses and orchids, which grow in association with mycorrhiza: a tuberous body, with rhizoids, representing the embryonic plant and giving rise to primordial leaves.
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the world > plants > part of plant > root > [noun] > corm
corm1830
protocorm1891
the world > plants > part of plant > root > [adjective] > of or belonging to root > protocorm
protocorm1891
1891 F. O. Bower in Proc. Royal Soc. 50 267 The sporophyte [of Phylloglossum] consists of two parts:—(i) the protocorm, with its protophylls and roots, and (ii) the strobilus.
1938 G. M. Smith Cryptogamic Bot. II. vii. 180 A massive globose structure (the protocorm)..grows through the gametophyte.
1988 Nat. World Autumn 33/4 The latter has successfully raised protocorms [of the lady's slipper orchid] which we hope will develop into plantlets with green leaves.
2005 Sunday Times (Nexis) 30 Jan. (Home section) 36 All orchids possess the same characteristic..: a protocorm, which is the structure formed after the germination of the seed and before the development of the seedling plant.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1891