The sutta above is a bit unusual and quite different from the usual fivefold classification of rebirth destination (that doesn’t mention plants). I’m not aware of any other similar sutta, except for the parallel at Snp 3.9.
More often in the suttas there is the idea that devas can be reborn in plants. Not sure how exactly that works, but they seem to be quite closely linked. They feel pleasure from things touching their plant, and any damage does not cause suffering for the plant itself, but for the deva, p. ex. at MN 45:
It is as if, monks, in the last month of the hot weather, a creeper’s seed-pod should burst and a seed of the creeper, monks, should fall at the root of a sāl-tree. Then, monks, the devatā residing in that sāl-tree, afraid, agitated, might fall a-trembling. Then, monks, the friends and acquaintances, the kith and kin of that devatā who resides in that sāl-tree: devatās of parks, devatās of groves, devatās of trees, devatās residing in medicinal herbs, grasses and woods, gathering together and assembling might give comfort thus: ‘Do not be afraid, revered one, do not be afraid, revered one. For a peacock might swallow this creeper’s seed, or a deer might consume it, or a forest-fire might burn it, or workers in the wood might remove it, or white ants might eat it, or it might not germinate.’ But, monks, if neither a peacock should swallow this creeper’s seed, nor a deer consume it, nor a forest-fire burn it, nor workers in the wood remove it, nor white ants eat it, it might germinate. Rained on heavily by the monsoon clouds, it might grow apace, and a young, soft and downy creeper, clinging to it might fasten on to that sāl-tree. Then, monks, it might occur to the devatā residing in that sāl-tree: ‘Why then, did these worthy friends and acquaintances, kith and kin: devatās of parks, devatās of groves, devatās of trees, devatās residing in medicinal herbs, grasses and woods, seeing future peril in this creeper’s seed, gathering together and assembling, give comfort thus: ‘Do not be afraid, revered one, do not be afraid, revered one. For a peacock might swallow this creeper’s seed, or a deer might consume it, or a forest-fire might burn it, or workers in the wood might remove it, or white ants might eat it, or it might not germinate?’ Pleasant is the touch of this young, soft, downy and clinging creeper.’ It might cover that sāl-tree; when it had covered that sāl-tree, it might form a canopy above it, it might produce dense undergrowth; when it had produced a dense undergrowth, it might strangle every great branch of that sāl-tree.
Then, monks, it might occur to the devatā residing in that sāl-tree: ‘It was because of seeing this future peril in the creeper’s seed, that those worthy friends and acquaintances, kith and kin: devatās of parks, devatās of groves, devatās of trees, devatās residing in medicinal herbs, grasses and woods, seeing future peril in this creeper’s seed, gathering together and assembling, give comfort thus: ‘Do not be afraid, revered one, do not be afraid, revered one. For a peacock might swallow this creeper’s seed, or a deer might consume it, or a forest-fire might burn it, or workers in the wood might remove it, or white ants might eat it, or it might not germinate.’ For I, because of this creeper’s seed, am experiencing painful, sharp, acute feelings.’
