Perennial plant

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A perennial plant or perennial (Latin per, "through", annus, "year") is a plant that lives for more than two years. This term is usually applied to herbaceous plants or small shrubs rather than large shrubs or trees, but used strictly it also applies to the larger and longer-lived species.

Herbaceous perennials are plants that do not form permanent woody tissue. In warmer and more clement climates they may grow continuously. In seasonal climates, their growth pattern is adapted to the growing season. In cooler temperate regions they generally grow and bloom during the warm part of the year, and the foliage dies back every winter. Regrowth is from their existing tissue or root-stock rather than from seed, as with annuals and biennials.

In some cases, these perennials may retain their foliage all year round, even in seasonal climates. Herbaceous perennials that retain their foliage all year round may be called evergreen perennials.

Examples of evergreen perennials; Begonia; banana

Examples of deciduous perennials; Goldenrod; mint

Woody perennials (ie.trees and shrubs) retain their woody structure permanently, but may lose their foliage in seasonal climates.

External links

http://www.orst.edu/extension/mg/botany/cycles.html