Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Subtropical scrubland
Range: Central America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

Crofton Weed is an invasive shrub native to Mexico that has spread across Australia, Asia, and the Pacific, forming dense thickets that crowd out native vegetation. Its clusters of tiny white flowers release allelopathic compounds into the soil, suppressing the germination of neighbouring plants.

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.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Ageratina
Species: Ageratina adenophora