Which characteristic defines annual plants?

• A. Mature in one season and are propagated exclusively by seeds.
• B. Live for multiple years and flower every year.
• C. Germinate in fall and die in spring.
• D. Have a perennial root system.

Answer: (A)

Annual plants complete their entire life cycle in one growing season: they germinate, grow, flower, produce seeds, and then die within that same year. Because they don’t persist as mature plants for more than one season, their continuation depends on seeds, which is why propagation is primarily by seeds. In a rangeland context, annuals like cheatgrass rely on producing seeds each year to establish new plants the next season.

Other patterns described—germinating in fall and dying in spring, having a perennial root system, or living for multiple years and flowering each year—fit with winter annuals or perennials, not with true annuals.