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An ephemeral plant is a plant with a very short life cycle or very short period of active growth, often one that grows only during brief periods when conditions are favorable. Several types of ephemeral plants exist. The first, spring ephemeral, refers to plants that emerge quickly in the spring and die back to their underground parts after a short growth and reproduction phase. Desert ephemerals are plants which are adapted to take advantage of the short wet periods in arid climates. Mud-flat ephemerals take advantage of short periods of low water. In areas subjected to recurring human disturbance, such as plowing, weedy ephemerals are very short-lived plants whose entire life cycle takes less than a growing season. In each case, the species has a life cycle timed to exploit a short period when resources are freely available.^[1] An evergreen plant could be considered the opposite of an ephemeral plant.

Spring ephemerals

Spring ephemerals are woodland wildflowers which develop aerial parts (i.e. stems, leaves, and flowers) of the plant early each spring and then quickly bloom, and produce seed. The leaves often wither leaving only underground structures (i.e. roots, rhizomes, and bulbs) for the remainder of the year. This strategy is very common in herbaceous communities of deciduous forests as it allows small herbaceous plants to take advantage of the high levels of sunlight reaching the forest floor prior to the formation of a canopy by woody plants. Examples include: spring beauties, trilliums, harbinger of spring and the genus of Dicentra particularly D. cucullaria, Dutchman's breeches and D. canadensis, squirrel corn.^{[citation needed]}

In the herb layer of beech forest and hornbeam-sessile oak forest, tuberous, bulbous and rhizomous plants are abundant. They comprise the spring geophytes (tuberous, bulbous and rhizomous).^[2]^[3]

Desert ephemerals

Desert ephemerals, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, are plants which are adapted to take advantage of the very short favourable seasons in deserts. Annual plants in deserts may use the weedy ephemeral strategy to survive in the desert environment. These species survive the dry seasons through seed dormancy. Alternatively, some perennial desert plants may die back to their underground parts and become dormant when there is not enough water available.^[3]

Mud flat ephemerals

Most water bodies have natural changes in water level over a year. For example, rivers have higher water periods after melting snow or rainy seasons, followed by natural low water periods. Large lakes have similar seasonal changes, but also changes over longer periods of time. Many short-lived plants, particularly annual plants, grow during low water periods, then set seeds which remain buried in the mud until the next low water period.^[4]

Weedy ephemerals

Many agricultural weeds are ephemeral and reproduce rapidly after human disturbance from plowing. Roadside weeds similarly exploit the disturbance from road construction and mowing. These plants rarely have any commercial use and can be invasive weeds. Examples include: Cardamine hirsuta and Cannabis ruderalis. Plants which have short life spans, rapid rates of growth, and high levels of seed production are also termed ruderals.^[5]

References

^ Keddy, P.A. 2007. Plants and Vegetation: Origins, Processes, Consequences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 666 p. Chapter 3, Resources.
^ "Biológia angol nyelven" (PDF). educatio.hu (in Hungarian).
^ ^a ^b Archibold, O. W. 1995. Ecology of World Vegetation. London: Chapman and Hall.
^ , Keddy, P.A. 2000. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 614 p. Chapter 2, Flooding.
^ Grime, J. P. 1979. Plant Strategies and Vegetation Processes. Chichester: John Wiley.

External links

The dictionary definition of ephemeral at Wiktionary
Media related to Ephemeral plants at Wikimedia Commons

[1] Keddy, P.A. 2007. Plants and Vegetation: Origins, Processes, Consequences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 666 p. Chapter 3, Resources.

[2] "Biológia angol nyelven" (PDF). educatio.hu (in Hungarian).

[archibold-3] Archibold, O. W. 1995. Ecology of World Vegetation. London: Chapman and Hall.

[4] , Keddy, P.A. 2000. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 614 p. Chapter 2, Flooding.

[5] Grime, J. P. 1979. Plant Strategies and Vegetation Processes. Chichester: John Wiley.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|A term used for plants with short life cycle}}
 [[Image:Trilliumgrand.jpg|right|thumb|260px|''[[Trillium grandiflorum]]'' in the foreground and the smaller ''[[Thalictrum thalictroides]]'' in the background are both spring ephemerals of [[North America]]n [[deciduous forest]]s]]
-An '''ephemeral plant''' is one marked by short life cycles. The word ephemeral means transitory or quickly fading. In regard to [[plant]]s, it refers to several distinct growth strategies. The first, '''spring ephemeral''', refers to perennial plants that emerge quickly in the spring and die back to their underground parts after a short growth and reproduction phase. '''Desert ephemerals''' are plants which are [[adaptation|adapted]] to take advantage of the short wet periods in [[arid]] [[climate]]s. '''Mud-flat ephemerals''' take advantage of short periods of low water. In areas subjected to recurring human disturbance, such as plowing, '''weedy ephemerals''' are very short-lived plants whose entire [[biological life cycle|life cycle]] takes less than a [[growing season]]. In each case, the species has a life cycle timed to exploit a short period when resources are freely available.<ref>Keddy, P.A.  2007. Plants and Vegetation: Origins, Processes, Consequences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 666 p. Chapter 3, Resources.</ref>
+An '''ephemeral plant''' is a [[plant]] with a very short life cycle or very short period of active growth, often one that grows only during brief periods when conditions are favorable. Several types of ephemeral plants exist. The first, '''spring ephemeral''', refers to plants that emerge quickly in the spring and die back to their underground parts after a short growth and reproduction phase. '''Desert ephemerals''' are plants which are [[adaptation|adapted]] to take advantage of the short wet periods in [[arid]] [[climate]]s. '''Mud-flat ephemerals''' take advantage of short periods of low water. In areas subjected to recurring human disturbance, such as plowing, '''weedy ephemerals''' are very short-lived plants whose entire [[biological life cycle|life cycle]] takes less than a [[growing season]]. In each case, the species has a life cycle timed to exploit a short period when resources are freely available.<ref>Keddy, P.A.  2007. Plants and Vegetation: Origins, Processes, Consequences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 666 p. Chapter 3, Resources.</ref> An [[evergreen]] plant could be considered the opposite of an ephemeral plant.
 ==Spring ephemerals==
-Spring ephemeral describes the life habit of [[Perennial plant|perennial]] woodland [[wildflower]]s which develop aerial parts (i.e. [[Plant stem|stem]]s, [[leaf|leaves]], and [[flower]]s) of the [[plant]] early each spring and then quickly bloom, and produce seed.  The leaves often wither leaving only underground structures (i.e. [[root]]s, [[rhizome]]s, and [[bulb]]s) for the remainder of the year. This strategy is very common in [[herbaceous]] communities of [[deciduous forest]]s as it allows small herbaceous plants to take advantage of the high levels of [[sunlight]] reaching the forest floor prior to the formation of a canopy by [[woody plant]]s. Examples include: [[spring beauty|spring beauties]], [[trillium]]s, and [[harbinger of spring]].<ref>Archibold, O. W. 1995. Ecology of World Vegetation. London: Chapman and Hall.</ref>
+Spring ephemerals are woodland [[wildflower]]s which develop aerial parts (i.e. [[Plant stem|stem]]s, [[leaf|leaves]], and [[flower]]s) of the [[plant]] early each spring and then quickly bloom, and produce seed.  The leaves often wither leaving only underground structures (i.e. [[root]]s, [[rhizome]]s, and [[bulb]]s) for the remainder of the year. This strategy is very common in [[herbaceous]] communities of [[deciduous forest]]s as it allows small herbaceous plants to take advantage of the high levels of [[sunlight]] reaching the [[forest floor]] prior to the formation of a canopy by [[woody plant]]s. Examples include: [[spring beauty|spring beauties]], [[trillium]]s, [[harbinger of spring]] and the genus of ''[[Dicentra]]'' particularly [[Dicentra cucullaria|''D. cucullaria,'' Dutchman's breeches]] and [[Dicentra canadensis|''D. canadensis,'' squirrel corn]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}
+In the herb layer of beech forest and hornbeam-sessile oak forest, tuberous, bulbous and rhizomous plants are abundant. They comprise the spring [[geophyte]]s (tuberous, bulbous and rhizomous).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dload-oktatas.educatio.hu/erettsegi/feladatok2005tavasz/kozep/k_bioangol_ut.pdf |title=Biológia angol nyelven |website=educatio.hu |lang=hu}}</ref><ref name="archibold">Archibold, O. W. 1995. Ecology of World Vegetation. London: Chapman and Hall.</ref>
 ==Desert ephemerals==
 [[File:Namaqualand,_Goegap_1029.jpg|right|thumb|This normally bare desert in Namaqualand, Goegap Nature Reserve in [[South Africa]] has a proliferation of flowers and desert ephemerals during the brief spring wet season]]
-Desert ephemerals, such as ''[[Arabidopsis thaliana]]'', are plants which are [[adaptation|adapted]] to take advantage of the very short favourable seasons in [[desert]]s. [[Annual plant]]s in deserts may use the weedy ephemeral strategy to survive in the desert environment. These [[species]] survive the dry seasons through [[seed dormancy]]. Alternatively, some [[Perennial plant|perennial]] desert plants may die back to their underground parts and become dormant when there is not enough water available.<ref>Archibold, O. W. 1995. Ecology of World Vegetation. London: Chapman and Hall.</ref>
+Desert ephemerals, such as ''[[Arabidopsis thaliana]]'', are plants which are [[adaptation|adapted]] to take advantage of the very short favourable seasons in [[desert]]s. [[Annual plant]]s in deserts may use the weedy ephemeral strategy to survive in the desert environment. These [[species]] survive the dry seasons through [[seed dormancy]]. Alternatively, some [[Perennial plant|perennial]] desert plants may die back to their underground parts and become dormant when there is not enough water available.<ref name="archibold"/>
 ==Mud flat ephemerals==
@@ Line 14: / Line 17: @@
 ==Weedy ephemerals==
 Many agricultural weeds are ephemeral and reproduce rapidly after human disturbance from plowing.  Roadside weeds similarly exploit the disturbance from road construction and mowing. These plants rarely have any commercial use and can be [[invasive weed]]s. Examples include: ''[[Cardamine hirsuta]]'' and ''[[Cannabis ruderalis]]''. Plants which have short life spans, rapid rates of growth, and high levels of seed production are also termed ruderals.<ref>Grime, J. P. 1979. Plant Strategies and Vegetation Processes. Chichester: John Wiley.</ref>
+==See also==
+*[[Weed]]
+*[[Annual plant]]
+*[[Superbloom]]
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
+==External links==
-{{Wiktionary|ephemeral}}
+*{{Wiktionaryinline|ephemeral}}
+*{{Commons category-inline|Ephemeral plants}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ephemeral Plant}}
-[[Category:Flowers]]
 [[Category:Ephemeral plants| ]]
+[[Category:Flowers]]
+[[Category:Plants]]