The Characteristics of C4 plants are as follows:

1. The C₄ process is also known as the Hatch-slack pathway and is named for the 4-carbon intermediate molecules that are produced, malic acid or aspartic acid.
   
   
2. C₄ has one step in the pathway before the Calvin cycle which reduces the amount of carbon that is lost in the overall process.
   
   
3. The carbon dioxide that is taken in by the plant is moved to bundle sheath cells by the malic acid or aspartic acid molecules (at this point the molecules are called malate and aspartate).
   
   
4. The oxygen content inside bundle sheath cells is very low, so the RuBisCo enzymes are less likely to catalyze oxidation reactions and waste carbon molecules.
   
   
5. The malate and aspartate molecules release the carbon dioxide in the chloroplasts of the bundle sheath cells and the Calvin cycle begins.
   
   
6. Bundle sheath cells are of the kranz leaf anatomy that is characteristic of C_4.
   
   
7. The most common examples are sugarcane, maize, Euphorbia, Amaranthus, etc.