Stats

Lifespan: Up to 600 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate woodland
Range: Western Eurasia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

This evergreen shrub grows in rocky woodlands across Europe and North Africa. Its leaves contain alkaloids that make the plant toxic to most grazing herbivores.

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: Buxales
Family: Buxaceae
Genus: Buxus
Species: Buxus sempervirens