Seeds-the begining of a plant life cycle

One of the most important parts of the plant life cycle is seeds being dispersed. Particularly for annual and biennial, but for perennial plants as well, this step ensures the survival of the plant species.

The seeding process is often the last part of the plant life cycle, and the seeds need to be dispersed so that the life cycle can begin anew. There are three primary modes of seed dispersal: by wind, by water, and by animal.

The easiest, and most common of the types of seed dispersal is the dispersal of the seed by wind. This is called anemochory. Dandelion seeds are the most common to see, as well as maple, pine, and orchids.

For many plants that rely on wind to get them from place to place, they have either wings or hairs to help assist the wind in this process. Others have seeds that are so small that they are practically like dust in their size, and thus, are carried easily.

The second type of seed dispersal is through water. This is the least common of the three, and applies mostly to plants that grow in or near bodies of water. This process is called hydrochory.

The final type of seed dispersal is zoochory, or the seed dispersal by animals. Some seeds are carried away involuntarily by animals, because they have burrs or hooks attached to the seed. These seeds are usually carried only for short distances by the animal temporarily and then dropped off. Examples of this type of zoochory include burdock and aceaena.

Another type of zoochory is seeds that are eaten by birds or other animals whose feces contains the seeds when they are dropped. Under this category falls apple, cherry, and juniper seeds.

Additionally, seeds such as acorns, hazelnuts, and walnuts are carried away by animals with the intention to be eaten and can grow into plants if the animals abandon them.

One of the most common types of zoochory is myrmecochory, which is the type of seed dispersal performed by ants. The seeds that are eaten by the ants contain both an editble portion and a hard portion that the ants cannot consume. The hard portion is the part that will eventually begin the life cycle of the plant, while the ants depend upon the edible portion for food.

Whether carried by wind, water, or animal, the dispersal of seeds is absolutely vital to the plant life cycle. The seed is both the beginning and the end of the life cycle for most plants, and no plant species could survive without a little help from the wind, water, or animal dispersing agent

When it comes to the plant life cycle, typically speaking, the annual and biennial plants are the two types that find their way to the dinner or snack tables. Delicious foods such as parsley, carrots, lettuce, and beets fall under the annual or biennial categories. However, the plants whose life cycles have them coming up for more than two years are the staples of our landscapes too.

Many shrubs, trees, orchids, and grasses fall under this plant life cycle. Perennials can either be plants that come up for a few short years, or they can be plants that come up every year. Either way, the perennial life cycle is one that requires special plant structures so that they can survive from year to year, and are helpful for farmers and gardeners, even when they aren‘t food crops.

Bulbs, tubers, special stems and crowns are all required by perennials in order to help the plant survive the continual process of growing and blooming every year. Perennials which grow in the kind of climate where they grow continuously likewise have their own special bulbs, woody crowns, rhizomes to help them adjust to their life cycle. These plants, that grow year round, are called evergreen perennials.

Plants that do not grow in temperate climates must bloom every year, and experience foliage death the rest of the time. These plants are called deciduous perennials, and they are able to regrowth due to the stem tissue that already exists. The swings in growth can be triggered either by wet and dry periods, or by warm and cold periods.

With the exception of fruit trees, most perennials, be they either evergreen or deciduous, are not edible. Regardless, the root structure of perennials are essential to farmers and other crop growers because they keep the soil from eroding during times in which the annuals and biennials are not growing. Additionally, they can help cut down on weeds.

In summation, perennials have special structures in order to grow, and are typically planted for their beauty, unlike their annual and biennial cousins. Regardless, the perennial plant life cycle can have serious benefits to gardeners, both professional and private.

When discussing a plant life cycle, one must first note whether it falls under the category of annual, perennial, or biennial. Though biennial flower plant life cycle are less common than either annuals or perennials, they include some of our most beloved foods. Biennial flowing plants include celery, cabbage, parsley, lettuce, and Brussels sprouts.

In order to qualify as a biennial plant, the entire life cycle of the plant must take two years. During the first year of its life cycle, the plant will grow lonely the eaves, stems and roots. It will then appear to “die,” but will in reality only go dormant.

This period of dormancy is frequently marked by a particular cold, dry, or hot period. For example, desert biennials often have their life cycle determined by the seasonal rain falls and dry spells.

Likewise, many flowers that appear to have a small life cycle, are in fact biennials, and their “deaths” are merely the start of their period of dormancy that is completed before they can complete their life cycle.

In fact, some biennials, most notably those that grow in regions of the world that have four seasons, require some sort of cold spell in order to grow. If a winter is particularly warm or does not reach temperatures cold enough, biennials will not complete their life cycle. This period of cold that is required for biennials to grow is called the process of being vernalized.

If a biennial is vernalized before being planted, this can drastically reduce their life cycle. Instead of taking two years to complete its life cycle, this biennial could take as little as three months.

For commercial farmers the process of early vernalization can be helpful if they are growing a plant that is eaten for their leaves or roots. Plants that are eaten by their flower, fruit, or seed, however, must take the full two years to grow, and early vernalization does not work.

Though they patience to endure their two year long plant life cycle, the biennial plants are some of the most beloved. They have proven worthy of the long wait it takes to harvest them over the years, and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

The ephemeral plant is notable in the plant world for having one of the shortest of all the plant life cycles. A plant life cycle of the ephemeral plant typically last between six to eight weeks, depending on whether the plant is a spring ephemeral, a weedy ephemeral, or a desert ephemeral.

Spring ephemerals are found in woodland areas populated by deciduous trees. These flowers come to bloom quickly each spring, and die except for their roots and bulbs for the rest of the year. By doing this, they are able to gain the most sunlight while it still can reach the forest floor, early in the spring.

By the summer and fall, the leaves of the deciduous trees have made a complete canopy over the forest, completely blotting out the sun and preventing any from reaching the ground. By winter, when the leaves have fallen away, it is too cold for the spring ephemerals to grow. This is the plant life cycle of spring beauties and trilliums.

A weedy ephemeral is simply an ephemeral that has no other purpose than to serve as annoying weeds in commercial or private gardens. These are still short life cycle plants, but they cause trouble during their short existence, nonetheless.

A desert ephemeral is a plant that uses its short life cycle to its advantage as it grows in the small life cycles in the desert. Desert plants have to be flexible in order to grow during the infrequent wet periods in both cold and hot deserts. Many experience periods of seed dormancy to help them adapt to the dry climate.

The purpose, anesthetic beauty, and overall pleasantness of a ephemeral plant is frequently determined not by whether it is a desert ephemeral, a weedy ephemeral, or a spring ephemeral, but by how much trouble these plants give commercial and private gardeners.

But in the end, all ephemerals share the same important trait: they all have a much shorter plant life cycle than average.

One of the major factors that determines the length, duration, and timing involved in the plant life cycle is what type of growing season a plant has. Annuals, including summer and winter annuals, have a unique growing season that is different from other plants.

An annual plant is any plant that experiences germination, flowering, and death all in the same year. Technically, seedless plants are considered annuals even without having to undergo the flowering process, but examples of “true annuals,” are ones that undergo all three portions of the plant life cycle.

These true annuals include many foods, such as watermelon, peas, beans, corn, and lettuce, as well as non-food plants such as the marigold. Other foods, such as tomatoes and the bell pepper, are often treated as annuals, though they are in truth perennials.

A subset of the annual plant is the summer annual group. This type of annual is a plant whose entire life cycle takes place during the summer months. A North American example of this kind of plant is the constant bane of most lawn keepers’ existences, crabgrass.

Another type of annual plant is the winter annual. We often do not consider that there are plants which grow only in the harsh winter climates, but many plants do, such as the chickweed, deadnettle, and many plants that grow close to the ground during the winter in order to conserve heat.

Additionally, a plant will classify as a winter annual if it grows during late fall or early spring. Many of the plants commonly viewed as weeds in flower and vegetable gardens are also winter annuals.

If you are shopping for plants that are described as “annuals,” it is important to understand that their entire plant life cycle, from germination to seeding, will occur in the same year. Depending on the climate you live in, this could determine much about types of plants you include and exclude from your gardens.

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