Stats

Lifespan

Biennial

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

Eurasia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Common

About

This tall, leafy plant thrives in nitrogen-rich soil across open meadows. Its spherical seed heads are covered in hooked spines that latch onto passing fur.

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

Asterales

Family

Asteraceae

Genus

Arctium

Species

Arctium lappa