Winter annuals are best described by which life cycle?

• A. Germinate in the fall or winter and grow until spring when they flower, produce seed, and die.
• B. Germinate in the spring and live year-round.
• C. Are perennial plants.
• D. Grow in summer and die in fall.

Answer: (D)

Winter annuals complete their life cycle in one year but start growing in the cooler seasons. They germinate in fall or winter, persist through the winter, and then flower, set seed, and die in the spring. This exactly matches the description of germinating in fall or winter and growing until spring when they flower, produce seed, and die. The other patterns describe different life cycles: germinating in spring and living year-round would imply a perennial or other cycle, being perennial means they don’t die after one year, and growing in summer and dying in fall fits a summer annual.