Question

Which plants die after flowering?
(a)Lotus
(b)Bamboo
(c)Chrysanthemum
(d)Butea

Answer 1

Hint: When a plant dies after flowering it is known as a monocarpic flowering plant. One such example of a monocarpic plant belongs to the Gramineae family and is a perennial grass. Stems of this plant are used as fuelwood and to build houses.

Complete answer:
Plants that die after flowering are Bamboo which is an unusual flowering phenomenon. This is because they flower only once in their lifetime usually after 50-100 years to produce a large number of fruits after which they die. Another interesting fact is that all members of a species bloom together even if they are separated by hundreds of kilometers.

Additional Information: Let us look at the phases in the life cycle of a plant.
-The life cycle of a plant is divided into three phases on the basis of their main event during that phase.
-The transition between these phases is controlled by hormones and certain environmental factors.
-Juvenile phase/Vegetative phase: The time period required by a plant to reach their sexual maturity is known as the juvenile phase. It is also known as the vegetative phase as the plant reproduces asexually through vegetative reproduction in this phase. The end of this phase is marked by the onset of flowering.
-Reproductive phase: This is the phase in which a plant reproduces sexually with the help of its sexual organs known as flowers. It involves many steps such as pollination, fertilization, fruit formation, germination, etc.
-Senescence: The end of the reproductive phase is considered as the sign of senescence or old age. In this phase, the metabolism of the body slows down as it is the last days of the life span. This phase ends with the death of the plant.
So, the correct option is ‘Bamboo’.

Note:
-Life span is defined as the period of time from birth to the natural death of an organism.
-The size of an organism does not determine its lifespan as crow and parrot are of similar size but their lifespan has a huge difference of 100 years.
-The events of sexual reproduction are divided into pre-fertilization, fertilization, and post-fertilization events.