Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: South Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

This woody shrub grows in the tropical forests of Southern India and Sri Lanka. Its tubular flowers produce nectar that only butterflies with long tongues can reach.

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.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Ixora
Species: Ixora coccinea