Purple Cudweed

Gamochaeta purpurea

Also known as: Spoon-Leaf Purple Everlasting · American Cudweed · Spoonleaf Cudweed · Spoon-leaved Cudweed

Plantae

UNCOMMON

Stats

Lifespan: Annual or biennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Uncommon

About

Purple Cudweed is a perennial plant native to North America. It has a unique life cycle, as its leaves are only visible from early spring to late summer and then fall to the ground.

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

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Gamochaeta
Species: Gamochaeta purpurea