Skip to main content

Biennial

/bye-EN-ee-ul/
🌳 Plant Types Basic

Also known as: two-year plant

A plant requiring two growing seasons to complete its life cycle. In the first year, it produces a rosette of leaves and stores energy. In the second year, it bolts (sends up a flowering stalk), blooms, sets seed, and dies.

Etymology

From Latin biennalis, meaning "lasting two years," from bi- (two) + annus (year).

Example

Foxglove is a biennial that produces only leaves in its first year before flowering spectacularly in its second.

Related Terms