Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: South America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Spines
Status: Rare

About

This small cactus grows on the branches of trees in the forests of southern Brazil. Its segmented stems detach easily to sprout new roots wherever they land on the forest floor.

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: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Rhipsalidopsis