Rockflower

Basic Information

Anatomy

Rockflowers are succulent plants.  The wild type has a cluster of small and thick leaves surrounding the base of the stem.  The uppermost pair of leaves have broad margins, which drape over the plant to shade it; these leaves give the plant a rocklike appearance.  The top of the stem blooms in an umbel of four to six small white flowers.

Ecology and Habitats

Rockflowers are well established inside the northern edge of the Neszekotalo Basin in Kot Petaszi, where the canyon areas collect enough soil to anchor roots and a little more precipitation comes from over the mountains. They may also be seen in the desert's drier interior, but more rarely. There are fewer places where the plant can root, and the heat and dry conditions are generally detrimental to its survival. In a sheltered rock that provides shade during the hottest part of the day, a wind-blown seed may be able to take hold and put out leaves after a rain shower or humid air mass moves through.

Biological Cycle

The plant's uppermost leaves unfold in direct sunlight to reduce evaporation, and close up in shade.  When the next pair of leaves emerges, the previous shade leaves lose their margins and become storage bodies.  Rockflowers do not bloom until the second year of growth.  Their seeds form a stiff fan that breaks off in windy conditions.  The seed stems have fine spines that increase the friction between the fan and any piece of rock it becomes lodged against.

Additional Information

Domestication

The szageki canyon colonies have bred the wild rockflower plant into a variety of cultivars.  Some forms produce larger or fleshier seeds, others grow spines on their stems, others longer and thicker roots.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Szageki have grown rockflower as a source of water for thousands of years.  Other parts of the plant are useful as components in ink, adhesives, tools, and medications.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The precursor to rockflowers originated from the eastern coast of Kot Petaszi. It propagated by wind across the mountains into the Neszekotalo Basin.

Lifespan

3 -10 years, highly dependent on precipitation

Average Height

30 cm in leaf, 40 cm in bloom

Average Length

20 cm width, 30 cm length