Stats

Lifespan

1-3 years

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Tropical grassland

Range

Central and South America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

The phasey bean is a slender herb that grows in tropical fields and grasslands. Its coiled seed pods snap open when dry to launch tiny seeds up to two meters away.

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

Fabales

Family

Fabaceae

Genus

Macroptilium

Species

Macroptilium lathyroides