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

Garden hacks Pollinator garden A small pollinator garden will have flowering plants to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. —Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 29 June 2024

Fresh air, flowering plants and daylight are everywhere. —William McDonough, Scientific American, 1 July 2017

Some 130 million years ago during the early Cretaceous, when dinosaurs still reigned, the world was transitioning from domination by ferns and conifers to domination by flowering plants. —Ari Daniel, NPR, 28 June 2024

These flowering plants and their ant partners seemingly evolved together over time. —Jacob S. Suissa, The Conversation, 20 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined above

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