flowering plant

noun

plural flowering plants

: any of a class (Angiospermae) of vascular plants that have male and female reproductive structures enclosed in a flower, that have seeds which arise from ovules contained in the ovaries, and that produce dry or fleshy fruits after double fertilization : angiosperm

The butterflies feed off the nectar of any flowering plant and lay their eggs on what's called a host plant.

—Michael Fitzpatrick

About 75% of all flowering plants rely on animal pollinators and over 200,000 species of animals act as pollinators.

—Steve Smith

Duckweed, the smallest flowering plant, measures less than 5 millimeters across.

—Timothy Cooney et al.

Examples of flowering plant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lobelia with its beautiful blue, Scaevola, tuberous begonias and many other gorgeous flowering plants appear this time of year. —Becky Wern, Florida Times-Union, 7 Mar. 2026

Echinacea is a flowering plant often taken as a tea or dietary supplement, available in many forms, including capsules, liquid extracts, and tinctures. —Ann Pietrangelo, Verywell Health, 4 Mar. 2026

Include flowering plants in your garden to attract beneficials such as lacewings and pirate bugs, which can help keep populations to manageable levels. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026

Steiner suggests pruning your non-spring-flowering plants to improve airflow and sunlight exposure. —Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 22 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for flowering plant

• ant
• aunt
• cant
• chant
• gant
• lant
• pant
• quant
• rant
• sant
• scant
• slant

Kids Definition

flowering plant

noun

: any of a major group of higher plants that produce flowers, fruits, and seeds with the seeds in a closed ovary

called also angiosperm

compare seed plant