- Hapaxanth
A hapaxanth is a term used for a
plant species whose individualsflower s only once in their lifetime and die subsequently. Other terms with the same meaning are "semelparous" and "monocarpic ".Its antonym is often given as
pollakanth , althoughpleonanth is also seen.The term was first used byAlexander Braun .This term is used for plants that only have one flowering event and then die. It's used most often in conjunction with describing some of the
taxa ofArecaceae (palms) and some species ofbamboo , but rarely used otherwise. Manyannuals flower over a period of time and can have flowers and seeds on the same plant at the same time, thus they are not hapaxanthic, because flowering does not lead to death. A similar term ismonocarpic , for a plant that bearsfruit once and then dies. A related term is pleonanthic, again used with Arecaceae (palms) and some bamboos for stems that flower more than once.
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