Perennial, << puh REHN ee uhl, >> is a plant that lives for more than two years or growing seasons. Some perennials, such as trees, can live for hundreds of years. Perennials differ from annuals, which complete their life cycles in a single year, and from biennials, which live two years or growing seasons. See Annual ; Biennial .
Perennials are either woody or herbaceous (nonwoody). Woody perennials, which include trees and shrubs, develop stems that increase in diameter each growing season. They do this by adding new tissues, mostly wood, to those of previous seasons. The aboveground parts of herbaceous perennials die each season, but the underground parts produce new shoots the next year. Herbaceous perennials include asparagus, rhubarb, and many spring wildflowers.
