monocarpous plant

9.9

A plant that flowers or produces fruit only once before it dies

noun
/ˌmɒnəˈkɑːrpəs plænt/

Specialized

: planta monocárpica

The agave is a well-known monocarpous plant that flowers once before dying.

Examples

Bamboo is another example of a monocarpous plant, often dying after its rare flowering event.
The monocarpous plant produces seeds only once in its lifetime.
Researchers are studying how the life cycle of a monocarpous plant affects its ecosystem.
Many monocarpous plants complete their life cycle in a single season.
The agave is a well-known monocarpous plant that flowers once before dying.
Many monocarpous plants complete their life cycle in a single season.
Bamboo is another example of a monocarpous plant, often dying after its rare flowering event.

Synonyms

monocarpic plant

vsmonocarpous plant

Specialized

9.9

A plant that flowers and makes fruit only once and then dies

is the same but uses an adjective plus noun form

monocarp

vsmonocarpous plant

Specialized

9.9

A plant that flowers and makes fruit only once before it dies

is the same but names the plant with a single word noun

Antonyms

perennial

20 5.1

Living for several years and flowering each year

How Often

monocarpous plant

Specialized

9.9

non-flowering plant

Specialized

4.4

Surface Forms

monocarpous plant singular

monocarpous plants plural

Morphology

monocarpous + plant

The noun phrase is compositionally clear (an adjective modifying 'plant'), so if a learner already knows that 'monocarpous' means 'bearing fruit once' they will understand the phrase. However, 'monocarpous' is a low-frequency, technical word formed from Greek morphemes that a B1 learner is unlikely to be able to decode, so the expression is not fully transparent to typical learners.

Etymology

Monocarpous plant comes from two parts: mono meaning 'one' and carpous meaning 'fruit', so it gives a simple picture of a plant that makes fruit only once and then 'dies'.