Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Worldwide
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Spines
Status: Common

About

This woody shrub grows in tropical fields across Brazil and Southeast Asia. Its tiny star-shaped hairs act like hooks to latch onto passing fur and clothing.

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: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Urena
Species: Urena lobata