A plant that completes its life cycle in one year is called:

A plant that completes its life cycle in one year is called:

• A. Annual
• B. Biennial
• C. Perennial
• D. Ephemeral

Answer: (B)

Understanding plant life cycle duration helps categorize how long a plant lives and reproduces. A plant that completes its entire life cycle—from germination to seed production and death—in a single growing season or year is an annual. This means its life is wrapped up in one year, allowing rapid generation turnover under suitable conditions. Biennials, by contrast, grow vegetatively in the first year and flower in the second, then die. Perennials live for multiple years and can flower repeatedly over many seasons. Ephemeral can refer to very short-lived plants, but the standard term for one-year lifespans is annual. So, the best term for a plant that finishes its life cycle in one year is annual.

Understanding plant life cycle duration helps categorize how long a plant lives and reproduces. A plant that completes its entire life cycle—from germination to seed production and death—in a single growing season or year is an annual. This means its life is wrapped up in one year, allowing rapid generation turnover under suitable conditions. Biennials, by contrast, grow vegetatively in the first year and flower in the second, then die. Perennials live for multiple years and can flower repeatedly over many seasons. Ephemeral can refer to very short-lived plants, but the standard term for one-year lifespans is annual. So, the best term for a plant that finishes its life cycle in one year is annual.