Question

Give a brief account on Monocarpic plants

Answer 1

Hint: The term monocarpic was used for the first time by Alphonse de Candolle. The other terms used to describe monocarpic plants are hapaxant and semelparous. Monocarpic is exactly opposite to the polycarpic plants.

Complete answer:
Monocarpic plants are the types of flowering plants that produce flowers and seeds once in their life span. Most monocarpic plants are annual plants. Annual plants behind 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 eventually start to die. The dormant seeds are used to bridge the gap from one generation to the next.

Both annual (e.g. wheat, rice) and biennial (e.g. carrot and radish) plants are monocarpic. A few perennial plants are monocarpic as well. Eg: Bambusa tulda, pineapple, agave, etc.

Plants such as bamboo species (e.g. Bambusa tulda) flower only once, usually after 50-100 years, during their lifespan. They grow a great number of fruits and die afterwards.
Neelakurinji, meanwhile, blooms once every 12 years. The last time, during September-October 2006, this plant flowered. It is located in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in hilly areas and has drawn a large number of tourists. The next cycle for the flowering of Neelakurinji occurred this year in 2018.

Note: Polycarpic plants are flowering plants that often produce flowers and fruits and they produce flowers and seeds every year. Polycarpic plants do not die after flowering or fruiting. A few examples are apple, mango, grape, orange, etc.