Stats

Lifespan

80-100 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

Central Asia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Common

About

This thorny tree grows in dry, sandy soils across central Asia and North America. Its roots host bacteria that pull nitrogen from the air to fertilize the surrounding soil.

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

• View on iNaturalist →
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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Rosales

Family

Elaeagnaceae

Genus

Elaeagnus

Species

Elaeagnus angustifolia