Re: terms/gettin' in late

so, if claire is right, which no doubt she is, then the veracity of the "term" descriptor depends to a great extent on the zone of the describer. we've had similar discussions before. probably all plants are, at minimum, short-lived perennials in an advantageous environment.


At 12:14 PM 1/8/03 -0500, ECPep@aol.com wrote:
In a message dated 1/8/03 11:44:52 AM Eastern Standard Time,
kmrsy@earthlink.net writes:


> Can anyone tell me what this term means?
>
> bi-annual, as in:

<<<<<Perennial, Annual and Bi-annual

There are three types of plants--perennial, annual and bi-annual. A perennial
plant is originally planted from seeds and grows every year without being
replanted. An annual plant only grows the year it is planted and then dies
off. If you want an annual to continue to come up, you must collect and save
the seeds in the fall and replant them the next spring. A bi-annual grows the
year it is planted and only one subsequent year after that before it dies
off.>>>>>>

This term is picked of a Google search as it does not appear in older books.
Biennial was the term for many years.  I would suspect here that the
familiarity with the term monocarpic and the other two might have evolved
into bi-annual to clear up the difference to the gardener or buyer.

Monocarpic means the plant germinates and grows, any period of time, until it
blooms and reproduces itself.  Then it dies.  This could be more than two
years.  Sometimes many more.

Most of the plants classed as biennials do the job in two years although not
always.  Some offset and live on.  It must be difficult for those listing
plants in catalogs or classifying them in books as the growth descriptions
can differ by individual or by location or by environment. This newish term
may be an attempt to make descriptions clear.

Claire Peplowski
NYS z4

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