Plants that complete their life cycle in one year are called:

• A. Annuals
• B. Biennials
• C. Ephemerals
• D. Perennials

Answer: (A)

Plants that complete their life cycle in one year are called annuals. They germinate from seeds, grow, flower, produce seeds, and die all within a single growing season. This means the next generation starts from new seeds produced by the plant rather than from the plant surviving year after year. In contrast, biennials spend one year primarily growing and storing energy, then in the second year they flower and produce seeds before dying. Perennials live for several years, regrowing each season from persistent structures like roots or bulbs. Ephemerals describe plants with very brief life cycles that can occur over a short period, often tied to specific conditions, and aren’t the standard term for a one-year life cycle.