Stats

Lifespan: Annual or Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate woodland
Range: Australia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

This woody shrub grows in the dry grasslands and rocky outcrops of Australia. Its papery petals contain so little moisture that they remain rigid long after the plant dies.

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

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Xerochrysum
Species: Xerochrysum bracteatum