Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical grassland
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

This fiery iris grows in dense clusters across the grasslands of East Africa. Its tubular blooms snap shut with enough force to trap and crush small invading insects.

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: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Crocosmia