Jude, I use "seedling" in the same context as Nhu according to my geophytes. In my eyes they're considered seedlings until their maiden bloom, at this point I consider them mature plants. I think it's all a matter of preference, there is no rhyme or reason, once a plant has fully matured I still may describe them as seedllings if I'm referring to them as offspring of the parent plants. Josh ________________________________ From: Nhu Nguyen <xerantheum@gmail.com> To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Thu, April 14, 2011 1:56:06 PM Subject: Re: [pbs] Use of the word "Seedling" Jude, You are right that seedling means an immature plant but it is not restricted to recently sprouted plants. My interpretation (at least for monocots) is that any plant that has yet to reach reproductive maturity (i.e. flower) can be considered a seedling. Some plants can get quite large before this happens. I think the use of seedling is different when you're talking about dicots because an oak tree can get quite large before blooming. Nhu Berkeley, CA