Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

Southeast Asia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Runners

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

This creeping perennial plant carpets the damp, shaded soil of Asian wetlands. Its fan-shaped leaves grow in clusters and sprout roots wherever they touch the wet ground.

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.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Apiales

Family

Apiaceae

Genus

Centella

Species

Centella asiatica