Which description correctly summarizes the life cycles of annuals, biennials, and perennials?

Which description correctly summarizes the life cycles of annuals, biennials, and perennials?

• A. Annuals live less than a year; Biennials live two growing seasons; Perennials live at least 2 years and may reproduce by seed or vegetatively.
• B. Biennials live two growing seasons; Perennials live only one year; Annuals live two years.
• C. Annuals only reproduce vegetatively; Biennials only produce seeds; Perennials never reproduce.
• D. Annuals and biennials reproduce only by seed.

Answer: (A)

Life cycles are defined by how long a plant lives and how it reproduces. Annuals complete their entire life cycle in one growing season, so they germinate, grow, flower, set seed, and die within that first year. Biennials take two growing seasons to finish their life cycle; they typically grow vegetatively in the first year and flower and produce seed in the second before dying. Perennials live for more than two years and can keep growing and flowering for many seasons, reproducing both by seed and through vegetative means such as runners or rhizomes. This description matches the choice that annuals live less than a year, biennials require two growing seasons, and perennials live at least two years and may reproduce by seed or vegetatively. The other choices are inaccurate because they misstate lifespans or restrict reproduction to a single method, which doesn’t reflect how these plant groups actually behave.