Annual vegetables or flowers that grow quickly to flowering stage at the expense of their best overall development.

Formation of an elongated stem or seed stalk. In the case of biennial plants, this generally occurs on the second season of growth.

Plants, usually vegetables, especially onions, that produce flowers and seed heads prematurely.

Common in hot weather and in annuals. Often because the plant is undergoing some stress, it will, seemingly overnight, jump ahead to the flowering stage of its life cycle without first establishing strong vegetative growth. Some varieties --of spinach for example-- have been developed that are bolt resistant.

Prompted by warming weather, leaf crops such as spinach and cabbage stop producing leaves and send up seed stalks.

term used to describe a plant that has run into seed prematurely

a plant which has gone to seed prematurely

The early production of a seed-stalk by a plant.

vi To send up a flower stalk and go to seed. In leafy vegetables, this is usually accompanied by a marked deterioration in food quality.

The growth of a plant too quickly to flower at the expense of good overall development.