A Detailed Guide to Herbaceous Plant Cultivation Methods and Key Technical Points

Herbaceous plants are plants in which the xylem within the stem is underdeveloped, containing few lignified cells and offering weak support. Herbaceous plants are generally quite short in stature, have relatively short lifespans, and soft stems; most die back above ground or as a whole plant at the end of the growing season. According to the length of time required to complete their entire life history, they are divided into annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous plants.

What types of herbaceous plants are there

(1) Annual herbs: herbaceous plants whose lifespan is only 1 year, from seed germination, growth, flowering and fruiting to withering and death, that is, plants that can complete their life cycle within a single growing season, flowering and fruiting and then dying in the same year, such as morning glory, cineraria, bottle gourd, China aster and so on.

(2) Biennial herbs: plants that in the first growing season (autumn) produce only vegetative organs, and in the second growing season (spring) flower, set fruit and then die, such as winter wheat, sugar beet, broad bean and so on.

(3) Perennial herbs: herbaceous plants with a relatively long life span, generally two years or more, such as chrysanthemum, orchid, lotus, water lily, clivia and so on. The roots of perennial herbaceous plants are generally relatively thick and sturdy, and some also develop organs such as tuberous roots, tubers, corms and bulbs.

What are biennial herbaceous plants

  Any non-woody plant that completes its life cycle (germination, growth, flowering, fruiting, death) within two growing seasons is a biennial. In the first growing season, biennials grow roots, stems and leaves; in the second growing season they flower, set fruit and seed, and then die. Sugar beet and carrot are typical examples of biennials. Some species are biennial in colder, higher-latitude regions but annual in hotter, lower-latitude regions.