Monocarpic
Encyclopedia
Monocarpic plants are those that flower
, set seeds
and then die. Other terms with the same meaning are hapaxanth
and semelparous. The term was first used by Alphonse de Candolle.
The antonym is polycarpic
, a plant that flowers and sets seeds many times during its lifetime; the antonym of semelparous is iteroparous. Plants which flower en masse (gregariously) before dying are known as plietesials
.
The plant can live a number of years before it will flower. Flowering does not by itself result in the death of the plants but the production of fruits and seeds
causes changes within the plants which lead to death. These changes are induced by chemicals that act as hormones, redirecting the resources of the plants from the roots and leaves to the production of fruits and or seeds.
The century plant
in the genus Agave
, some terrestrial bromeliads of the genus Puya
, Tillandsia
utriculata, some yucca
s, and many bamboo
s can take 8 to 20 years or in the case of bamboos even over 100 years to bloom and then die. Hawaiian silverswords
and their relatives in the genus Wilkesia
may take 10–50 years before flowering.
Only five families
of monocot plants - Agavaceae
, Araceae
, Arecaceae
, Bromeliaceae
, and Poaceae
- and ten of dicot plants - including Acanthaceae
, Apocynaceae
, Asteraceae
, and Fabaceae
- contain long lived, monocarpic species. Few dicot shrubs with multiple branching and secondary growth species have been described. Species that have been found to are Strobilanthes
species, Cerberiopsis candelabrum, Tachigali versicolor
and other Tachigali
species.
Often monocarpic plants can be kept alive after flowering if the flowers are removed as soon as they are done blooming, before seed formation begins, or if the flower buds are removed before they begin blooming.
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
, set seeds
SEEDS
SEEDS is a voluntary organisation registered under the Societies Act of India....
and then die. Other terms with the same meaning are hapaxanth
Hapaxanth
A hapaxanth is a term used for a plant species whose individuals flowers only once in their lifetime and die subsequently. Other terms with the same meaning are semelparous and monocarpic....
and semelparous. The term was first used by Alphonse de Candolle.
The antonym is polycarpic
Polycarpic
Polycarpic plants are those that flower and set seeds many times before dying....
, a plant that flowers and sets seeds many times during its lifetime; the antonym of semelparous is iteroparous. Plants which flower en masse (gregariously) before dying are known as plietesials
Plietesials
Plietesials are plants that grow for a number of years, flower gregariously , set seed and then die.The length of the cycle can vary between 8 and 16 years...
.
The plant can live a number of years before it will flower. Flowering does not by itself result in the death of the plants but the production of fruits and seeds
SEEDS
SEEDS is a voluntary organisation registered under the Societies Act of India....
causes changes within the plants which lead to death. These changes are induced by chemicals that act as hormones, redirecting the resources of the plants from the roots and leaves to the production of fruits and or seeds.
The century plant
Century plant
Agave americana, commonly known as the century plant, maguey, or American aloe , is an agave originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant...
in the genus Agave
Agave
Agave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
, some terrestrial bromeliads of the genus Puya
Puya (genus)
Puya is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. These terrestrial plants are native to the Andes Mountains of South America and southern Central America...
, Tillandsia
Tillandsia
Tillandsia is a genus of around 540 species in the Bromeliad family , found in the forests, mountains, and deserts, of Central and South America, and Mexico and the southern United States in North America....
utriculata, some yucca
Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
s, and many bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
s can take 8 to 20 years or in the case of bamboos even over 100 years to bloom and then die. Hawaiian silverswords
Argyroxiphium
Argyroxiphium is a small genus of five species in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. Its members are known by the common name of silversword or greensword due to their long, narrow leaves and the silvery hairs on some species. It belongs to a larger radiation of over 50 species, including the...
and their relatives in the genus Wilkesia
Wilkesia
Wilkesia is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It contains two perennials, both of which are endemic to the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Wilkesia is a component of the silversword alliance.-Species:...
may take 10–50 years before flowering.
Only five families
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of monocot plants - Agavaceae
Agavaceae
Agavoideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. It has previously been treated as a separate family, Agavaceae. The group includes many well-known desert and dry zone types such as the agave, yucca, and Joshua tree...
, Araceae
Araceae
Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like bract. Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially...
, Arecaceae
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
, Bromeliaceae
Bromeliaceae
Bromeliaceae is a family of monocot flowering plants of around 3,170 species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana...
, and Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
- and ten of dicot plants - including Acanthaceae
Acanthaceae
The family Acanthaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species....
, Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae
The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also perennial herbs...
, Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
, and Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
- contain long lived, monocarpic species. Few dicot shrubs with multiple branching and secondary growth species have been described. Species that have been found to are Strobilanthes
Strobilanthes
Strobilanthes is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical Asia, but with a few species extending north into temperate regions of Asia.Selected species...
species, Cerberiopsis candelabrum, Tachigali versicolor
Tachigali versicolor
Tachigali versicolor or the suicide tree is a species of tree found from Costa Rica to western Colombia. It is monocarpic, flowering only once before dying, which gives rise to its common name of the "suicide tree".-Reproduction:...
and other Tachigali
Tachigali
Tachigali is a flowering plant genus in the legume family that contains 54 species.Species include:* Tachigali multijuga Benth. * Tachigali myrmecophila...
species.
Often monocarpic plants can be kept alive after flowering if the flowers are removed as soon as they are done blooming, before seed formation begins, or if the flower buds are removed before they begin blooming.
See also
- PolycarpicPolycarpicPolycarpic plants are those that flower and set seeds many times before dying....
- Masting
- Strobilanthes callosusStrobilanthes callosusStrobilanthes callosus Nees is a shrub found mainly in the low hills of the western ghats all along the west coast of India. Its standardized Hindi language name is Maruadona by which it is called in the state of Madhya Pradesh where it is also found...
- Strobilanthes kunthianaStrobilanthes kunthianaNeelakurinji , is a shrub that used to grow abundantly in the shola grasslands of the Western Ghats in South India above 1800 metres...