Stats

Lifespan

Up to 30 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Coastal wetland

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

This shrub grows in sandy thickets across North and Central American wetlands. Its berries are coated in a thick, grey wax that repels water to keep the seeds afloat during floods.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Fagales

Family

Myricaceae

Genus

Morella

Species

Morella cerifera