Editing Maturity

{{game icons|p=y|p2=y|p3=y|p4=y|pa=y|hp=y|pb=y}}

[[File:Pikmin Stages.jpg|thumb|The three stages of Pikmin in ''Pikmin 3''.]]

[[File:Pikmin Stages in Pikmin.jpg|thumb|The three stages of Pikmin in the first ''Pikmin'' game.]]

[[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] can be in one of three stages of '''maturity''': leaf, bud, or flower. In the main series, the more mature a Pikmin is, the faster it becomes at walking and [[carry]]ing items, making it more efficient at completing tasks. As such, it is in the player's best interest to keep their Pikmin in high maturity. A Pikmin's stage can be identified by what's on top of its stem, and there are several ways for Pikmin to both increase and decrease in maturity.

All Pikmin start in the leaf stage when created by the [[Onion]]. (Although Pikmin start their life as a seed, and then a sprout, those stages are separate from maturity, since they already have a leaf when that happens.) When stored inside an Onion, Pikmin do not lose their maturity, meaning that the player will not lose flower or bud Pikmin between days. When pulling Pikmin out of an Onion, flower Pikmin come out first, then buds, and finally leaves.

The [[HUD#Standby Pikmin|standby Pikmin icon]] in the first two games makes the distinction between different maturities of Pikmin. Before [[throw]]ing in ''[[Pikmin 2]]'', the two ''[[New Play Control!]]'' and [[Pikmin 1+2|Nintendo switch]] versions, it is possible to swap out a Pikmin on a leader's hand for one of a different maturity within the same type; this can be achieved by pressing {{button|gc|padud|wii|padd|switch|x}}.

Because a higher maturity is considered better than a lower one, some rankings in the games use icons based on the Pikmin stems' tops to symbolize their value. For instance, in [[Mission Mode]], the bronze medal has a leaf icon, the silver medal has a bud, and the gold and platinum medals have a flower. Analogously, flowers are sometimes depicted in the series as symbols of evolution or idealism, such as the [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin 2)|''Pikmin 2'' Challenge Mode]] levels on the grid changing to flowers upon completion.

==In the main series==

The first stage. A simple green leaf grows atop the stem. Pikmin in this state move at the slow, default speed, making them inefficient for carrying objects. Pikmin always start off as leaf Pikmin when created by the [[Onion]].

The second stage. These Pikmin have a round bud on their stem. Pikmin normally have white buds, but [[Purple Pikmin|Purple]] and [[White Pikmin]] have magenta buds, and [[Rock Pikmin|Rock]] and [[Winged Pikmin]] have lavender ones and [[ice Pikmin|ice]] and [[glow Pikmin]] have yellow ones. At this maturity, Pikmin are moderately faster than leaf Pikmin.

The final stage, also called "blossom" by Captain Olimar.{{cite quote|What exactly are these Pikmin? One could classify them as both plant and animal. They mature from leaf, to bud, and finally to blossom. When all of one color are lost, the Onion instinctively puts out new seeds... How does it know to do this? What a mysterious life-form!|Captain Olimar|his [[Olimar's voyage log|voyage log]]}} Flower Pikmin are the fastest, and move twice as fast as leaf Pikmin (for all types except Purple Pikmin and White Pikmin). They grow a five-petaled flower atop their stems. In ''[[Pikmin (game)|Pikmin]]'', flower Pikmin that die in battle have a chance of leaving behind a sprout that appears the following [[day]]. The color of a Pikmin's flower is the same as the color of its bud.

In the original [[GameCube]] versions of ''Pikmin'' and ''Pikmin 2'', a flower Pikmin twirls horizontally in the air after it reaches the apex of its [[throw]] arc. When it does this, it falls down slightly slower than leaf or bud Pikmin. This twirl also makes the Pikmin lose some horizontal momentum, which makes leaf and bud Pikmin fall farther in a throw than flower Pikmin. In the ''[[New Play Control!]]'' and [[Pikmin 1+2|Nintendo Switch version]]s, flower Pikmin stop somersaulting in the apex and fall down straight, resulting in them landing at the same time and in the same position as leaf or bud Pikmin. Purple Pikmin do not have any sort of horizontal twirl in any game, since they plummet straight to the ground after reaching their apex.

The most basic way for Pikmin to increase in level is to let them remain underground for some time without [[pluck]]ing them. As they stay underground, they extract nutrients from the soil,{{cite quote|If you leave Pikmin in the ground for a while without picking them, they will extract more nutrients from the soil and grow as shown below.|Pikmin Growth section|the ''[[Pikmin (game)|Pikmin]]'' instruction manual}} which allows them to evolve from their current stage to the next one every few minutes.

 

The other common way to have Pikmin mature is to feed them [[nectar]]. This will instantly set them to flower status if they are on the leaf or bud stages.

*In ''[[Pikmin 3]]'' and ''[[Pikmin 4]]'', an [[ultra-spicy spray]] instantly matures all Pikmin in the party to the flower stage, as well as power them up temporarily.

*If a [[Mamuta]] plants Pikmin, they instantly grow into their flower stage.

*In [[2-Player Battle]], the flower power-up will instantly flower up all non-buried Pikmin that belong to the player that used it.

*[[Glow Pikmin]] automatically mature over time and will only decrease their state of maturity if used in a Glowmob, which reverts them to the leaf stage.  

 

 

===Decreasing===

There are some ways for Pikmin to decrease in maturity in the first two games, in a process known by fans as "deflowering" or "depetaling". Pikmin in {{p3}} will never regress in maturity.

*In {{p1}}, {{p2}} and {{p4}}, Pikmin that get knocked down in battle have a [[Randomization|random chance]] of decreasing in maturity. In ''Pikmin'' and ''Pikmin 4'', a Pikmin will only decrease to the maturity directly under the one it is on, but in ''Pikmin 2'', the decrease will happen straight to the leaf stage.

===In alternative game modes===

[[File:PSM Treasure in a Bottle Pikmin Idea.png|thumb|Pikmin in ''[[Treasure in a Bottle]]'', after flowering up by themselves.]]

In ''[[Treasure in a Bottle]]'', the Pikmin outside of the bottle change from leaf to flowers when they come up with an idea. This is likely a take on the cartoon joke where characters that come up with ideas receive a glowing lightbulb on top of their heads.

Near the end of ''[[Occupational Hazards]]'', when the Pikmin and [[Bulborb]] are falling from the backhoe's bucket, the Pikmin's leaves turn into flowers, serving as parachutes. When Yellow Pikmin touch the backhoe's battery, their leaves turn into buds and start blinking, which is something that does not happen in ''Pikmin 3''; when they finish the circuit, their buds stay the same, whereas in the third ''Pikmin'' game, finishing a circuit rewards all Pikmin involved with a flower status. This is likely a visual gag based on the fact the blinking buds resemble Christmas lights. A [[Red Pikmin]] can also be seen evolving into a flower after emerging from the mud, in the scene after the [[Fiery Blowhog]] is defeated, but the reason for this is not known.

In the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' series, the Pikmin following Olimar start on the leaf stage when plucked, and slowly evolve into buds and then flowers as they stay on the battlefield. This change is only aesthetic, though, although it is the main concept behind event #14: "[[smashwiki:Event 14: Sproutrage of the Flower Pikmin|Sproutage of the Flower Pikmin]]", in ''Brawl''. To save on performance, Pikmin always stay on the leaf status in ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS''.

In the ''[[Nintendo Land]]'' attraction ''[[Pikmin Adventure]]'', Olimar players and Pikmin players may collect blobs of [[nectar]] to increase a numeric level. Three drops of nectar are needed to increase one level, and between levels 1 and 4, that player's Pikmin will be in the leaf stage. Between levels 5 and 9, the bud stage, and from 10 onward, the flower stage. Although the maturity itself has no impact on the Pikmin's performance, the numeric level does. However, when maturity increases, Pikmin players get a combo attack (with two hits as a bulb Pikmin and three as a flower Pikmin) and the Olimar player receives an increase in Pikmin number when evolving to a new stage (5 more per maturity stage; having 5 at level one, and later, 10 starting at level 5 and 15 starting at level 10).

 

MM CT gold.png|And the gold medal by a flower.