What defines the two types of perennials?

Perennials are categorized into two main types based on their growth forms: woody and herbaceous. Woody perennials are plants that have a hard stem, contributing to their ability to grow back each year, such as trees and shrubs. They remain alive during the non-growing seasons, often exhibiting a strong structure that persists year after year.

Herbaceous perennials, on the other hand, have soft stems and usually die back to the ground after the growing season ends but regenerate in the spring from their root systems. This distinction is important in botany, as it helps in understanding plant lifecycle, growth habits, and management practices appropriate for each type.

Other options do not accurately represent the fundamental categories of perennial plants. Biennials, for example, have a two-year lifecycle rather than a perennial one, while annuals complete their lifecycle within a single growing season. Grass and broadleaf, while they describe certain plant types, do not align with the evergreen versus herbaceous distinction and thus do not define the main types of perennials.