Stats

Lifespan

Annual or biennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

South America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Uncommon

About

This sunflower relative grows in open fields across nearly every continent. Its leaves are coated in dense white hairs that trap moisture to survive in dry 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

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Asterales

Family

Asteraceae

Genus

Gamochaeta

Species

Gamochaeta pensylvanica