Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical grassland
Range: The Americas
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

This legume grows in fields and roadsides across most of the tropical world. Its curved seed pods snap open to launch dozens of seeds up to two meters away.

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: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Senna
Species: Senna obtusifolia