Defining and measuring plant seedlings

How we define early plant life stages matters for cross collaboration, aggregating data, and conducting meta analyses. However, language in current literature is inconsistent. Common terms include seedling, sapling, or propagule, others include young herbs or juvenile plants without specifying age. Researchers studying production, development, regeneration, establishment, or community assembly may not mention age at all. From seed production, dispersal, germination, and establishment there are many early stages to study over timescales that may differ among growth forms. By clearly defining these timeframes and life stages we can better synthesize and share data, and understand plant evolution and community assembly.