Puncture Vine
Puncture Vine
Tribulus terrestris
Plantae
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
Annual
Size
Small
Diet
Photosynthetic
Biome
Arid grassland
Range
Eurasia and Africa
Movement
Sessile
Breeding
Seeds
Defense
Spines
Status
Common

About

Puncture Vine is a hardy annual plant in the caltrop family, thriving in dry climates where few other plants can survive. Its thick, thorny vines can grow up to 60 cm in length and have a deep root system that allows it to absorb water and nutrients from the soil.

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

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Zygophyllales
Family
Zygophyllaceae
Genus
Tribulus
Species
Tribulus terrestris