biennis
Biennis is a Latin adjective meaning “biennial” and is used in botanical naming to indicate a two-year life cycle. In plant biology, biennials are species that require two growing seasons to complete their life: vegetative growth in the first year, followed by flowering and seed production in the second, after which the plant typically dies. Many biennials form a rosette of leaves in their first year, storing energy to fuel a flowering stalk in year two. Flowering is often triggered by cold exposure (vernalization) and other environmental cues such as day length and temperature; the timing of bolting varies with climate and species. Seed production completes the cycle, and in many species the seed can persist in the soil as a short-term seed bank.
Gardeners encounter biennials both as ornamental and edible crops. Classic garden biennials include foxglove (Digitalis), hollyhocks
Cultivation notes: to establish biennials with a two-year bloom cycle, gardeners may sow them so that the
Etymology: biennis derives from Latin bi- “two” and annus “year.”