Lifespan Moderate

Sometimes when reading the description of a plant I see cryptic information: "Lifespan Moderate". I wonder how to translate that "moderate" into the number of years?

 

Highly unpredictable. And it'll also vary with the type of plant (tree / shrub / herbaceous perennial) being so described.

 

Yes, very vague & subjective. You really need the context. It could mean hundreds of years for a conifer, but maybe only 5-10 years for a perennial garden plant.

 

How about for a shrub?

 

Depends on the shrub. Brunfelsia, a lovely shrub classified as "lifespan moderate" will almost certainly die before you do. On the other hand, Rhododendrons and Azaleas, other lovely "lifespan moderate" shrubberies, will almost certainly outlast you if you care for them properly.

How's that for cryptic? What kind of shrub is it?

 

It was a general question.

Regardless of my age?

 

If it does not apply to a specific plant, then your answer is that "lifespan moderate" is meaningless gibberish. :)

 

Yeah, it looks so.

 

Check the reference for a definition.

 

Sorry for my ignorance, but what do you mean Ron?

 

"Lifespan moderate" sounds like marketing speak for either "short-lived" or "marginally hardy". Did you see the phrase in vendor descriptions of plants?

 

Look to see if the source using the term defines it elsewhere in the book or other venue.

 

I have seen the term several times on the Internet. One example: http://www.wikiplants.com/tiki-index.php?page=Cornelian%20Cherry%20%28Cornus%20mas%20L.%29 I didn't see, and later (following Ron's advice) couldn't find the definition of the term on that website, though.

The term is used on other websites, too, e.g. http://plants.usda.gov/java/charProfile?symbol=COMA21 and finally I found at least partial definition there (on a separate page: http://plants.usda.gov/charinfo.html)), that goes as follows:
Lifespan: What is the expected lifespan (in years) of a perennial plant relative to other species with the same growth habit? For the Tree growth habit: Short: < 100; Moderate: 100 - 250; Long: >250. Lifespans for other growth habits are not quantified.
** Short, Moderate, Long

Thanks everybody for your input in clarifying this. And, as always, I have learned more than that on the way.

 

Many terms are not applied universally, with the same exact meanings. You will find most serious works contain a glossary, where lingo used by them is defined.