Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Montane forest

Range

East Asia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

This woody shrub grows on mountain slopes across Japan, China, and the Himalayas. Its leathery leaves rotate to track sunlight and store water during the dry summer months.

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

Ericales

Family

Pentaphylacaceae

Genus

Ternstroemia

Species

Ternstroemia gymnanthera