What is Biennial plant?
[[File:Parsley Curled.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Parsley]] is an example of a biennial plant.]] A '''biennial plant''' is a [[flowering plant]] that takes two years to complete its lifecycle. In the first year the plant grows [[leaves]], [[Plant stem|stems]], and [[root]]s (vegetative structures); then it enters a period of dormancy over the colder months. Usually, the stem remains very short and the leaves are low to the ground, forming a rosette. Many biennials require a cold treatment, before they will flower. The next spring/summer the stem of the biennial plant becomes much longer. The plant then [[flower]]s, produces [[fruit]]s and [[seed]]s before it finally dies. There are far fewer biennials than either [[perennial]]s or [[annual plant|annuals]]. Under extreme climatic conditions, a biennial plant may complete its lifecycle in a very short period of time (e.g. 3 or 4 months instead of 2 years). This is quite common in vegetable or flower seedlings that were exposed to cold conditions, before they were planted in the ground. This behaviour leads to many normally biennial plants being treated as [[annual plant|annuals]] in some areas. Flowering can be induced in some biennials by application of the [[plant hormone]] ''[[gibberellin]]'', but this is rarely done commercially. From a gardener's perspective, a plant's status as [[annual plant|annual]], biennial, or [[perennial]] often varies based on location or purpose. Biennials grown for flowers, fruits, or seeds need to be grown for two years. Biennials that are grown for edible leaves or roots are grown as annuals, e.g. [[beet]]s, [[Brussels sprouts]], [[cabbage]], [[carrot]]s, [[celery]], [[parsley]], and [[Swiss chard]]. If a normally biennial plant is grown in extremely harsh conditions, it is likely to be treated as an annual because it will not survive the winter cold. Conversely, an annual grown under extremely favourable conditions may have highly successful seed propagation, giving it the appearance of being biennial or perennial. Some short-lived