Moss Tree

A symbiotic relationship between a naked scaffold of a tree which secretes nutrients to feed a photosynthetic coating similar to Spanish moss. The moss covering belong to the Magenta Plants, but the support tree is of unknown ancestry.
Neither half of the relationship can be cultivated without the other.
As a young tree grows, the moss expands to cover it. Along the vertical trunk and horizontal branches, the moss remains short apparently with a deterministic length. At the tips of the branches, however, it seems to grow indefinitely, thickening and tangling into dreadlocks, and eventually breaking off.
The tree absorbs water and nutrients from the ground and secretes them over its surface, for the moss to absorb. The moss photosynthesizes and secretes sugar (or whatever energy storage chemical it uses) which is washed down to the ground, for the tree's roots to absorb.
Moss trees are protected by a colony of Tentacle Stars, which only guard the tree itself and moss that is still attached. They do not guard clumps of moss that have fallen to the ground; those are available for any animals, including humans, to collect and eat.
The tentacle stars also appear to be the method of propagation for moss trees, which do not appear to produce seeds or fruit of any kind. Tentacle stars have been observed to take cuttings of moss trees, plant them elsewhere, and protect them.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Magenta Plants

Scientific Name

Plant