Stats

Lifespan

40+ years

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Mountain forest

Range

East Asia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

This shrub grows in the mountain thickets of eastern China, Taiwan, and Japan. Its drooping white flowers contain a toxin that paralyzes insects that attempt to feed on them.

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

Magnoliopsida

Order

Ericales

Family

Ericaceae

Genus

Pieris

Species

Pieris japonica