Stats

Lifespan

Up to 50 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

Eurasia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

This slender shrub grows in damp European woodlands with uniquely thread-like leaves. Its foliage mimics the appearance of ferns to confuse herbivores searching for broad leaves.

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

Rosales

Family

Rhamnaceae

Genus

Frangula

Species

Frangula alnus