Question

Between an annual and a perennial plant, which one has a shorter juvenile phase? Give one reason.

Answer 1

Juvenile phase:

The period of growth between seed germination and initiation of flowering is called the juvenile or vegetative phase.

Annual plants:

Annual plants are those that complete their life cycle in one year. In annual plants, the vegetative phase is short. They flower only once in their lifetime and then die. Examples include wheat, pea etc.

Perennial plants:

Perennials plants are those that complete their life cycle in more than two years. The vegetative phase is comparatively long, from a few years to several years. They flower more than once during their lifetime. Examples include bananas, pine trees etc.

Underlying reason of duration of vegetative phase:

Since the life cycle is short in annual plants, hence, the juvenile phase is also small in annual plants when compared to perennial plants.