Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate woodland
Range: Europe and Asia
Movement: Climbing
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

A sprawling vine in the nightshade family bearing small purple flowers with sharply reflexed petals that frame a bright yellow cone of fused anthers. Its berries ripen through a striking green-to-yellow-to-red gradient, and the stems famously taste bitter then sweet when chewed — the origin of its common name.

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.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Solanum
Species: Solanum dulcamara