Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Tropical rainforest

Range

Southeast Asia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Toxins

Status

Rare

About

This fern grows in the shaded rocky crevices of forests across Southeast Asia. Its heart-shaped leaves sprout tiny clones from their tips when they touch the damp soil.

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.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Polypodiopsida

Order

Polypodiales

Family

Pteridaceae

Genus

Mickelopteris

Species

Mickelopteris cordata