Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical shrubland
Range: Central America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

This flowering mint plant grows in the dry, mountainous regions of Mexico. Its seeds absorb twelve times their weight in water to form a protective gel coating.

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: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Salvia
Species: Salvia hispanica