What are the characteristics and differences of herbaceous plants?

Herbaceous plants are one of the many types of plants. I believe many of you may not know much about them, so let us learn about them together! Let us look at the characteristics of herbaceous plants.

What are herbaceous plants

The stems and branches of herbaceous plants mostly die after the growing season, but the underground roots can grow again in the second year. The roots of perennial herbaceous plants are generally rather thick and sturdy, and some also grow tuberous roots, tubers, corms, bulbs and other organs. In winter, the aboveground parts still rest quietly, and when the climate warms up the next year, they sprout and grow again. Growing year after year in this way, the underground roots or stems may gradually become larger and thicker, and may also branch.

Classification of herbaceous plants

Annual herbs refer to herbaceous plants whose lifespan is only 1 year, from seed germination, growth, and seed setting to withering and death, that is, they can complete their life cycle within one growing season. Biennial herbs are plants that in the first growing season grow only vegetative organs, and in the second growing season bloom and set seed and then die, such as winter wheat, sugar beet, broad bean, etc. Perennial herbaceous plants have a relatively long lifespan, generally herbaceous plants that live for more than two years, such as chrysanthemum, water lily, clivia, etc.

The xylem of the plant body of herbaceous plants is relatively undeveloped to undeveloped, and the stems are succulent and relatively soft. According to the length of the life cycle of herbaceous plants, they can be divided into generally annual, biennial or perennial plants. Most herbaceous plants die completely at the end of the growing season, including annual and biennial herbaceous plants, such as rice, radish, etc.

The aboveground parts of perennial herbaceous plants die every year, while the underground roots, rhizomes and bulbs can live for many years, such as geranium, etc. Among herbaceous plants, the habits of annual, biennial and perennial plants sometimes vary with changes in geographical latitude and cultivation practices. For example, wheat and barley are biennial herbs when sown in autumn, but become annual herbs when sown in spring; another example is cotton and castor, which are annual herbs in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area, but can grow into perennial herbs in the lower-latitude south.

They have a relatively long lifespan, generally herbaceous plants that live for more than two years, such as chrysanthemum, orchid, lotus, water lily, clivia, etc. The roots of perennial herbaceous plants are generally rather thick and sturdy, and some also grow tuberous roots, tubers, corms, bulbs and other organs. In winter, the aboveground parts still rest quietly, and when the climate warms up the next year, they sprout and grow again. Growing year after year in this way, the underground roots or stems may gradually become larger and thicker, and may also branch.

This provides us with a basis for identifying their age; we can estimate their age from the number of branches on their underground parts, and the size, length and thickness of the stems or roots. Perennial herbs can live for more than two years.

The underground parts of some plants are perennial, such as modified organs like adventitious roots or rhizomes, bulbs, tuberous roots, etc., while the aboveground parts die every year, and in the spring of the next year new branches grow again from the underground parts, bloom and set seed, such as lotus root, onion, taro, sweet potato, dahlia, etc.; in addition, some plants have both aboveground and underground parts that are perennial. After blooming and setting seed, the aboveground parts still do not wither and die, and can set seed many times, such as Japanese ardisia, dwarf lilyturf, etc.

Characteristics of herbaceous plants

1. Annual flowers: generally herbaceous plants sown in spring and blooming in summer and autumn. After the seeds mature in autumn, the plants wither and die when winter comes. They complete one life cycle within 1 year. Such as scarlet sage, cockscomb, zinnia, garden balsam, etc.

2. Biennial flowers: generally herbaceous plants sown in autumn and blooming in the following spring and summer. After the seeds mature in summer, they wither and die. They grow across years, but for less than two years. Such as pot marigold, cineraria, pansy, snapdragon, etc.

3. Perennial root flowers: individuals live for more than two years, and they are perennial herbaceous flowers. They are highly cold-resistant, can overwinter in the open field in winter, can bloom and set seed many times, and the form of the underground parts is normal, such as chrysanthemum, African daisy.

4. Bulbous flowers: individuals live for more than two years, and they are perennial herbaceous flowers. Their underground parts have swollen deformed stems or roots, and there are five types. (1) Bulb type: has many thick fleshy scales. Such as narcissus, lily. (2) Corm type: spherical in appearance, solid inside. Such as gladiolus. (3) Tuber type: the underground stem becomes block-shaped, such as calla lily. (4) Rhizome type: the underground stem becomes thick and fleshy and forms a thick, long rhizome, with obvious nodes and internodes on it. Such as canna. (5) Tuberous root type: formed by swelling of the roots, such as dahlia.

5. Aquatic flowers: this category belongs to perennial herbaceous plants with perennial roots. The underground parts are mostly thick and fleshy and rhizome-like, growing in shallow water or marshy areas. Such as lotus, water lily.

6. Ferns: this category belongs to perennial herbaceous plants, mostly evergreen, do not bloom and do not produce seeds. Such as sword fern, staghorn fern.

The above is all the content of the characteristics of herbaceous plants and the differences of herbaceous plants that I have summarized for everyone. I hope this article can help everyone. Please also continue to follow us.

(3) Tuber type: the underground stem becomes block-shaped, such as calla lily. (4) Rhizome type: the underground stem becomes thick and fleshy and forms a thick, long rhizome, with obvious nodes and internodes on it. Such as canna. (5) Tuberous root type: formed by swelling of the roots, such as dahlia.

5. Aquatic flowers: this category belongs to perennial herbaceous plants with perennial roots. The underground parts are mostly thick and fleshy and rhizome-like, growing in shallow water or marshy areas. Such as lotus, water lily.

6. Ferns: this category belongs to perennial herbaceous plants, mostly evergreen, do not bloom and do not produce seeds. Such as sword fern, staghorn fern.

The above is all the content of the characteristics of herbaceous plants and the differences of herbaceous plants that I have summarized for everyone. I hope this article can help everyone. Please also continue to follow us.