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

Avoid attractants: Cicadas are attracted to flowering plants and fruit trees. —The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024

Scientists estimate that 75% of the world’s flowering plants depend on animal pollinators to produce. —USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024

Based on genetic analyses of different beetle lineages, McKenna and his colleagues have found evidence that a major factor spurring beetle diversity was the diversification of flowering plants during the Cretaceous period. —Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Apr. 2024

The Pollinator Party Pack is available by pre-order and includes a group of 16 plugs that will provide an early summer through fall progression of flowering plants. —Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024

Genomes, fossils, and the concurrent rise of modern birds and flowering plants in the Late Cretaceous, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121(8):e2319696121 | doi:10.1073/pnas.2319696121 Socials: Bluesky | CounterSocial | Gab | LinkedIn | Mastodon Science | Post. —Grrlscientist, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024

Mirage was just a tiny flowering plant when it was presented as a gift to the California Academy of Sciences on behalf of the Conservatory of Flowers. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024

Roughly three-quarters of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators like bees — accounting for one in every three bites of food, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. —Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Jan. 2024

In fact, this report indicates that the radiation of modern birds occurred at the same time that flowering plants and other creatures first appeared, and may have been sped up avian evolution. —Grrlscientist, Forbes, 19 Feb. 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