Difference Between Monocarpic Plants And Polycarpic Plants (With Examples)

What Are Monocarpic Plants?

Monocarpic plants are flowering plants that produce flowers and seeds once in their life span. Most Monocarpic plants are annual plants. Annual plants start their life cycle from seeds to flowers to seeds within a single season. After one year, the roots, leaves and stems of an annual plant dies. What bridges the gap from one generation to the next are the dormant seeds.

Some of the examples of Monocarpic plants include: Rice, carrots, bamboo, wheat, bromeliads, sunflowers, tillandsias, radishes, lettuce, bananas, zinnias, palms, agaves, aeoniums and annual flowers etc.

What You Need To Know About Monocarpic Plants

  1. Monocarpic plants flower once in their life.
  2. Monocarpic plants are generally annual or biennial. Very few mono-carpic fruits are perennial.
  3. Monocarpic plants die after flowering and fruiting.
  4. Examples of Monocarpic plants include Rice, Wheat, Radish, Carrot, Bamboo etc.

What Are Polycarpic Plants?

Shasta Plant, An example Of Polycarpic Plant

Polycarpic plants are the flowering plants that produce flowers and fruits many times. In other words, they are plants that produce flowers and seeds every year. Most of Polycarpic plants are perennials. Polycarpic perennials are characterized by evolved structures that allow their survival for many years. This is typical of rhizomes and bulbs.   Perennial plants persist in growing for many seasons. In general, the top portion of a perennial plant dies during winter and when spring comes, it grows back from the same root system.

Examples of Polycarpic plants are: Apple, mango, grape wine, orange, purple cone flower, Ox-Eyed Daisy, Shasta etc

What You Need To Know About Polycarpic Plants

  1. Polycarpic plants flower every year in particular season.
  2. Polycarpic plants are perennial.
  3. Polycarpic plants do not die after flowering and fruiting.
  4. Examples of Polycarpic plants include Apple, Mango, Grape wine, orange etc.

Difference Between Monocarpic And Polycarpic Plants In Tabular Form

BASIS OF COMPARISON MONOCARPIC PLANTS POLYCARPIC PLANTS
Description Monocarpic plants flower once in their life.   Polycarpic plants flower every year in particular season.  
Nature Monocarpic plants are generally annual or biennial. Very few mono-carpic fruits are perennial.   Polycarpic plants are perennial.  
Death Monocarpic plants die after flowering and fruiting.   Polycarpic plants do not die after flowering and fruiting.  
Examples Examples of Monocarpic plants include Rice, Wheat, Radish, Carrot, Bamboo etc.   Examples of Polycarpic plants include Apple, Mango, Grape wine, orange etc.  

Similarities Between Monocarpic And Polycarpic Plants

  • They all produce seeds and fruits.
  • Both plants produce flowers for sexual reproduction.
  • Monocarpic and Polycarpic plants are flowering plants.