Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Mediterranean scrub
Range: Europe and Middle East
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

This low-growing shrub thrives in the rocky soils of Mediterranean hillsides. Its square stems produce tiny hairs that trap moisture from the morning dew.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Teucrium
Species: Teucrium chamaedrys