Stats

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

About

Caterpillar scorpionweed gets its name from its tightly coiled flower clusters that unroll as the lavender-white blossoms open, mimicking a curled caterpillar. The plant is blanketed in glandular hairs that can cause contact dermatitis on sensitive skin.

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: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Phacelia
Species: Phacelia cicutaria