Which statement correctly defines annual plants?

• A. They complete their life cycle in two years.
• B. They germinate and die in a single season.
• C. They complete their life cycle in one year.
• D. They live for more than two years.

Answer: (C)

Annual plants complete their life cycle in one growing year. They germinate from seed, grow, flower, produce seeds, and die all within a single year, so they do not persist into subsequent years. This distinguishes them from biennials, which take two years to complete their life cycle (typically growing the first year and flowering the second), and from perennials, which live for more than two years. The idea of germinating and dying in a single season can be close in regions with short growing seasons, but the standard definition uses one year to describe the life cycle. Hence, completing the life cycle in one year is the best definition of an annual plant.