Tulips overwinter as which structure?

• A. Seeds
• B. Tubers
• C. Rhizomes
• D. Bulbs

Answer: (D)

Tulips survive winter as bulbs. A bulb is an underground storage organ made of fleshy, layered leaves that encase the shoot and nutrients, enabling the plant to endure cold and regrow in spring. Seeds would require germination each year and don’t provide winter protection for the mature plant. Tubers are swollen underground stems used by plants like potatoes to store energy, not the tulip’s structure. Rhizomes are horizontal underground stems that spread new plants, which isn’t how tulips overwinter. So the bulb is the correct structure that allows tulips to survive the winter and come back each year.