ephemeral

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ephemeral
1. Short-lived, or of brief duration (e.g. the life of a mayfly, Ephemeroptera).

2. (ephemerophyte) A plant that completes its life cycle very rapidly. In favourable environments ephemerals may germinate, bloom, and set seed several times during a single year. Many weed species are ephemerals. Ephemerals are also particularly characteristic of desert environments. The word is derived from the Greek ephemeros, meaning ‘lasting for only a day’.

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