Question

Which of the following flowers only once in its life-time?
A. Mango
B. Bamboo species
C. Papaya
D. Jackfruit

Answer 1

The fastest growing plant is the one that flowers only once in the lifetime. Also try to rule out options of plants which fruit.

Complete step by step answer:
They are fast growing and come under the family Poaceae. It has more than 115 genera and 1400 species. It is distributed in tropical and subtropical to mild temperate regions. Reproduction is mostly vegetative and most bamboos flower once every 60 to 130 years depending on the species.
Bamboo is a group of woody perennial grass and are usually present as dense, impenetrable clumps or spread by creeping rhizomes.
They exhibit monocarpic flowering behavior i.e. it dies after flowering. However, not all the bamboos show the same flowering patterns, it differs according to the species. This flowering pattern can be divided into: gregarious flowering, sporadic flowering or annual flowering.
Gregarious flowering: It is genetically determined in each species and can happen at intervals between 60 to 130 years. In this, all the populations of a particular species flower at once, regardless of the geographical location. After the flowering stage, the plant dies.
Sporadic flowering: Occurs on an individual plant or a group of a plant localized at a particular area. The plant flowers sporadically and environmental factors are responsible for this.
Annual flowering: A very few species of the plant flowers annually without any effect on the parent plant.
They have a jointed stem, like grass, called clum. Usually, the clum is hollow but some species have solid clums. Leaves and branches grow from the nodes of these plants. The branches are also segmented with nodes and internodes. The underground root system is called the rhizome which is very similar to that of the culm. The rhizomes grow horizontally in the soil. Bamboos have a wide range of uses: used as food by pandas and Chinese use this as a vegetable in their cuisine, has antibacterial properties, used in construction of houses etc.

Thus the correct option in Option B, Bamboo species.

Note:
Even though there are different types of flowering behavior, the most common is the gregarious flowering that is exhibited by a large number of species. This flowering causes a lot of stress on the parent plant and they die.