rhizocarpous

American

[rahy-zoh-kahr-puhs] / ˌraɪ zoʊˈkɑr pəs /

Also rhizocarpic

adjective

Botany.

having the root perennial but the stem annual, as perennial herbs.

rhizocarpous British

/ ˌraɪzəʊˈkɑːpəs /

adjective

(of plants) producing subterranean flowers and fruit
(of perennial plants) having roots that persist throughout the year but stems and leaves that wither at the end of the growing season

"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 rhizocarpous

First recorded in 1825–35; rhizo- + -carpous

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