Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Subtropical forest

Range

South America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

This succulent plant grows in the damp, shaded forests of South America. Its leaves store water in thick, waxy layers that can survive three weeks without any rain.

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

Magnoliopsida

Order

Cucurbitales

Family

Begoniaceae

Genus

Begonia

Species

Begonia cucullata