Some Plants Grow for a Long Time to Flower Only Once
2024-08-02
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1Some plants, known as flowering annuals, bloom without stop before dying at the end of the year or season.
2Other flowering plants, known as perennials, return every year.
3They can bloom all season, with a lot of blossoms at first followed by additional flowers from time to time.
4Sometimes it is a limited show that can last as little as two weeks.
5Biennials flower only in their second year before dying.
6But there is another group of plants called monocarpics.
7Their name comes from the Greek words for "single," mono, and "fruit," carpos.
8Monocarpics spend their whole lives growing in size only to produce a single bloom before dying.
9Some monocarpic plants have a following among a small group of gardeners.
10These gardeners enjoy what can be years of waiting.
11They often throw parties to show their plant's once-in-a-lifetime bloom to others.
12Other growers, however, can be surprised to discover their 30-year-old plant unexpectedly blooming, only to watch it die immediately afterward.
13Flowers have a purpose: to ensure the continuation of their species.
14After their bloom ends, plants produce seeds that grow into new plants.
15Monocarpic plants have just one chance at this.
16So, as you might imagine, the effort is often spectacular.
17Take the century plant. Rather than living for 100 years, as its name suggests, it has an average lifespan of just 10 to 30 years.
18It is a desert plant native to Mexico and Texas.
19During its life, it grows to 1.8 meters tall before sending up a giant flower stalk that can reach nine meters, often surprising its owners.
20A 19-year-old American columbo plant growing at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill bloomed this spring.
21The plants are native to the eastern and central United States.
22They grow quickly for many years before pushing forth flowers that are up to two meters long.
23The monocarpic plant group also includes the fishtail palm. It can grow over 15 meters in height.
24The trees produce flowers with yellow centers when they are between 10 and 20 years old.
25The good news is the show of flowers can last up to 5 years, after which only the blooming trunk will die, leaving secondary trunks, if present, to take over.
26However, fishtail palms grown as houseplants are not likely to bloom.
27Bamboo is also a monocarpic plant.
28But it can take more than 100 years for some bamboo species to flower, and even then, sometimes their roots push up new plants.
29Bananas, too, are monocarpic, but they reproduce by sending up suckers, or small, new plants, from their roots.
30After their one-and-only fruit crop is harvested, the main plant is cut to ground level, leaving the suckers to take over.
31I'm John Russell.
1Some plants, known as flowering annuals, bloom without stop before dying at the end of the year or season. 2Other flowering plants, known as perennials, return every year. They can bloom all season, with a lot of blossoms at first followed by additional flowers from time to time. Sometimes it is a limited show that can last as little as two weeks. 3Biennials flower only in their second year before dying. 4Monocarpic plants 5But there is another group of plants called monocarpics. Their name comes from the Greek words for "single," mono, and "fruit," carpos. Monocarpics spend their whole lives growing in size only to produce a single bloom before dying. 6Some monocarpic plants have a following among a small group of gardeners. These gardeners enjoy what can be years of waiting. They often throw parties to show their plant's once-in-a-lifetime bloom to others. 7Other growers, however, can be surprised to discover their 30-year-old plant unexpectedly blooming, only to watch it die immediately afterward. 8Flowers have a purpose: to ensure the continuation of their species. After their bloom ends, plants produce seeds that grow into new plants. 9Monocarpic plants have just one chance at this. So, as you might imagine, the effort is often spectacular. 10Examples of monocarpics 11Take the century plant. Rather than living for 100 years, as its name suggests, it has an average lifespan of just 10 to 30 years. It is a desert plant native to Mexico and Texas. 12During its life, it grows to 1.8 meters tall before sending up a giant flower stalk that can reach nine meters, often surprising its owners. 13A 19-year-old American columbo plant growing at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill bloomed this spring. The plants are native to the eastern and central United States. They grow quickly for many years before pushing forth flowers that are up to two meters long. 14The monocarpic plant group also includes the fishtail palm. It can grow over 15 meters in height. The trees produce flowers with yellow centers when they are between 10 and 20 years old. 15The good news is the show of flowers can last up to 5 years, after which only the blooming trunk will die, leaving secondary trunks, if present, to take over. However, fishtail palms grown as houseplants are not likely to bloom. 16Bamboo is also a monocarpic plant. But it can take more than 100 years for some bamboo species to flower, and even then, sometimes their roots push up new plants. 17Bananas, too, are monocarpic, but they reproduce by sending up suckers, or small, new plants, from their roots. After their one-and-only fruit crop is harvested, the main plant is cut to ground level, leaving the suckers to take over. 18I'm John Russell. 19Jessica Damiano reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20______________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22bloom - v. to produce or yield flowers -n. a flower 23blossom -n. a flower -v. to produce flowers 24gardener -n. a person who raises and keeps plants for flowers and for food 25spectacular - adj. describes the quality of being unusual, notable, or entertaining 26trunk -- n. the main part of a tree apart from limbs and roots 27species - n. a category of biological classification ranking immediately below the genus or subgenus