A plant is herbaceous when its stems stay soft, like a flower, a tomato, or a clump of mint, rather than growing hard and woody like a tree or a shrub.

A plant is herbaceous一株植物是herbaceous when its stems stay soft是指它的莖保持柔軟, like a flower, a tomato, or a clump of mint就像花、番茄或一叢薄荷那樣, rather than growing hard and woody like a tree or a shrub而不是像樹或灌木那樣長得又硬又木質化.

The top of many herbaceous plants dies back in winter, and new stems grow from the roots in spring — though actually, in a warm place some herbaceous plants stay green all year; the point is the stem is not wood, not that the plant must vanish in the cold.

The top of many herbaceous plants dies back in winter很多herbaceous植物的地上部分冬天會枯萎, and new stems grow from the roots in spring春天再從根部長出新的莖 — though actually不過事實上, in a warm place some herbaceous plants stay green all year在溫暖的地方有些herbaceous植物整年都是綠的; the point is the stem is not wood重點在於莖不是木質, not that the plant must vanish in the cold而不是說植物冬天一定會消失.

Gardeners use this word a lot. A “herbaceous border” is a flower bed full of these soft-stemmed plants, not a row of bushes.

Gardeners use this word a lot園藝師很常用這個字. A "herbaceous border" "herbaceous border"（草本花圃邊） is a flower bed full of these soft-stemmed plants是一個種滿這種軟莖植物的花圃, not a row of bushes不是一排灌木.

It is a garden-and-science word, not a café word.

It is a garden-and-science word這是個園藝跟科學用字, not a café word不是咖啡廳聊天會用的字.

Students often hear herb inside it and think it means “good for cooking or tea.” That is close in origin — Latin herbāceus meant “grassy” — but in plant talk it is about the stem, not about flavour. A rosemary bush is a cooking herb, yet its stems go woody, so a gardener would not call the bush herbaceous.

Students often hear herb inside it學生常常聽到裡面有herb這個字 and think it means "good for cooking or tea."就以為意思是「可以拿來煮菜或泡茶」. That is close in origin這在字源上是接近的 — Latin herbāceus meant "grassy"——拉丁文herbāceus的意思是「草的」 — but in plant talk it is about the stem, not about flavour但在講植物時它指的是莖，不是味道. A rosemary bush is a cooking herb迷迭香是一種食用香草, yet its stems go woody但它的莖會變木質, so a gardener would not call the bush herbaceous所以園藝師不會把這叢迷迭香叫做herbaceous.