Stats

Lifespan: 20-30 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate deciduous forest
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Armor
Status: Common

About

A small deciduous tree native to eastern North America, famous for its spectacular display of magenta-pink blossoms that burst directly from bare branches and even the trunk before its heart-shaped leaves emerge each spring. It belongs to the legume family and produces flat seed pods that persist through winter.

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.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Cercis
Species: Cercis canadensis