Stats

Lifespan

1-5 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Desert

Range

South America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Uncommon

About

This colorful succulent grows in the rocky, arid plains of South America. It lacks chlorophyll and must graft itself onto a host plant to survive.

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

Caryophyllales

Family

Cactaceae

Genus

Gymnocalycium

Species

Gymnocalycium mihanovichii