Stats

Lifespan

20-50 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate shrubland

Range

Southern Europe and Western Asia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Uncommon

About

This thorny shrub grows in rocky thickets across southern Europe and Asia. Its sharp, two-inch spines contain a chemical that causes wounds to swell and fester.

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

Rosales

Family

Rosaceae

Genus

Pyracantha

Species

Pyracantha coccinea