Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Montane forest
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

This flowering plant clings to shaded rocky cliffs across central and southern Africa. It sprouts a single, massive leaf that can grow over two feet long to capture dim light.

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: Lamiales
Family: Gesneriaceae
Genus: Streptocarpus