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

The roots of all flowering plants on land export a little sugar to feed bacteria. —David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026

Like all other flowering plants, grasses wrap the embryo and endosperm in layers of maternal tissue. —Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026

The most recent major plant evolution happened around 140 million years ago, when flowering plants, what scientists call angiosperms, appeared. —Erin Potter, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026

This French brasserie has an outdoor garden that genuinely feels like a different city — lush and tropical with towering palms, flowering plants, and elegant mood lighting inspired by Parisian garden parties. —Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 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