Stats

Lifespan

Biennial

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

Europe and North Africa

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

This biennial herb grows in meadows and along roadsides across many continents. Its hollow stems are marked with purple spots that contain potent neurotoxins.

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.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Apiales

Family

Apiaceae

Genus

Conium

Species

Conium maculatum