Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

East Asia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds, Runners

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

This grass-like plant grows in dense, low clusters across forests in East Asia. Its roots produce small, fleshy tubers that store water to survive long periods of drought.

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

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Asparagales

Family

Asparagaceae

Genus

Ophiopogon

Species

Ophiopogon japonicus