Habit

The general form or growth pattern of a plant is called its habit. Based on habit, flowering plants fall into four broad groups. Herbs are soft, non-woody (or barely woody) plants; depending on lifespan they may be annual, biennial or perennial, and perennial herbs that persist underground as a bulb, corm, rhizome or tuber are called geophytes (e.g. Phyllanthus amarus, Cleome viscosa). Shrubs are perennial, woody plants that branch into several main stems right from ground level (e.g. Hibiscus). Climbers (vines) have a long, weak stem that needs external or self-produced support to grow upward; a woody, perennial climber that forms part of a tropical forest canopy is called a liana (e.g. Ventilago, Entada, Bougainvillea). Trees are tall, stout, perennial and woody, usually with one main trunk g …