Which plant is listed as an example of biennials in the source material?

• A. Mullein
• B. Corn
• C. Alfalfa
• D. Crabgrass

Answer: (A)

Biennials are plants that take two growing seasons to complete their life cycle: they usually form vegetative growth in the first year and then flower and set seed in the second year. Mullein fits this pattern neatly—during the first year it typically grows as a rosette of woolly leaves, and in the second year it sends up a tall flowering stalk to produce seeds. That two-year life cycle is what defines it as a biennial and is why it’s listed as an example in this category. In contrast, corn completes its life cycle in one year, so it’s an annual; alfalfa is a perennial, living and regrowing for multiple years; and crabgrass is typically treated as a warm-season annual weed, finishing its life cycle in one year.