monocarpic

American

[mon-uh-kahr-pik] / ˌmɒn əˈkɑr pɪk /

adjective

Botany.

producing fruit only once and then dying.

monocarpic British

/ ˌmɒnəʊˈkɑːpɪk /

adjective

Also: hapaxanthic. botany another name for semelparous

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of monocarpic

First recorded in 1840–50; monocarp + -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Such succulents are monocarpic, meaning they die after flowering.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 9, 2023

In another classification based on flowering frequency, monocarpic plants flower only once in their lifetime; examples include bamboo and yucca.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023