Vegetative propagation in plants

External Morphology of Herbaceous Plants

A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level.

Types of herbaceous plants

A herbaceous plant can be:

• Annual

• Biennial

• Perennial

Annual herbaceous plants die completely at the end of growing season after they have flowered and fruited.

Perennial and biennial herbaceous plants also die at the end of growing season, but parts of the plants survive under or close to the ground from season to season. In such plants, new growth forms are produced from these remains.

Other Features of Herbaceous Plants

The stems of the herbaceous plants are soft and fleshy. Many herbaceous plants are characterised by bold, bright flowers. The foliage is also bold and colourful.

The stems are aerial or underground and may show modifications such as rhizome, bulb, or corm. The aerial stem may be erect, prostrate, or climbing.

The roots are adventitious and are usually fibrous.

The leaves show parallel venation. They may show different types of phyllotaxy (alternate, opposite, or whorled). They may be scaly, leathery, fleshy, or modified into spines.

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