Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Tropical rainforest

Range

The Americas

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Rare

About

This creeping fern grows across the bark of trees in tropical forest regions. It produces two distinct leaf shapes to capture both sunlight and moisture efficiently.

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

Polypodiopsida

Order

Polypodiales

Family

Polypodiaceae

Genus

Microgramma

Species

Microgramma heterophylla