perennial

A plant that lives for many years. There are two types. Herbaceous perennials survive each winter as underground storage or perennating organs, such as *bulbs , *corms , *rhizomes , and stem and root *tubers. The foliage leaves and flowers die back in winter. Woody perennials are trees and shrubs whose aerial stems have woody tissues and persist above ground. They may be *deciduous or *evergreen. Compare annual , biennial , ephemeral.