Stats

Lifespan

Decades to centuries

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Forests and shrublands

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

This diverse group of flowering plants grows in forests and scrublands worldwide. Many species produce winged seeds that spin like helicopter blades to travel by wind.

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

Sapindales