Batmùne - Change Tendril

"By the roots of Êlgista, are you crazy? You can't take off all the tendrils at once. That means a death sentence for both host and plant!"

Ôldrik, the Builder - Brictaelgian treehouse inventor-

Batmùne is a parasite plant in the forests of Brictaelgis. It is one of the change tendrils because it “transforms” the leaves of the host tree into long, durable tendrils. The plant is one of the most important resources due to the use of its coils for building houses and the jelly of the false flowers for making candles. Their fast-growing tendrils and good resistance to environmental influences make it a symbol of stability and endurance. Her flower is a part of the scepter of the Insignia of Âdocôris.

Overview

Scientific name:
Saki BATMUNESA misolgis
Common name: Change Tendril
Line: Shoot parasites
Origin: Change Tendril
Habitat: White linden in the forests of Brictaelgis
Life expectancy: perennial
Mock flower: 20 cm x 10 cm
Tendril length: 20 m to 30 m
Diameter: 1cm to 2 cm
Weight up to 3 kg
Appearance: red false flowers on a thick base, orange flowers with yellow pistils, leaf tendrils growing downwards
Diet: parasitic on the salty syrup of the host tree
Reproduction: internally via enzymes, externally via seeds, pollination by troll beetles
Use: tendrils for building houses, jelly from the false flower for making candles

Physiology & food intake

Batmùne only grow on the white linden trees of the green continent. The plant itself actually consists of a pseudo-flower twenty centimeters high and ten centimeters wide with three strong, fleshy red outer leaves and a thickened base.

by Blue Fairy 74

by Blue Fairy 74

The foot forms small claws with which the plant can hold on to the bark and penetrate. Between the outer leaves is the actual flower made of slightly thinner orange leaves and yellow pistils.

The Druids believe that the Batmùne serves as a food source for the slightly salty syrup that only the white lime trees produce. While feeding, the leaf tendril releases special enzymes that disrupt the growth of the tree's rounded leaves, causing them to transform into leaf tendrils. This ensures that the host plant continues to photosynthesize.

The slings can reach a length of up to thirty meters, a diameter of one to two centimeters and a weight of up to three kilograms. The tendril needs about a year to grow to its maximum length. Batmune trees have never been seen with their tendrils touching the ground. It can be assumed that once the snares reach a certain length they are no longer supplied with enough food.

Reproduction

At the same time, it can spread internally in the shoot axes of the branches on the tree through the release of enzymes. In some linden forests the trees are so densely overgrown with plants that you can hardly walk through them. Externally, the leaf tendril always multiplies in the Mirtâdi when the sun is at its highest. Then the outer leaves open and give off an intoxicating scent that attracts troll beetles. The fragrance acts on the beetles, whether female or male, like an aphrodisiac and helps them reproduce.
About a week after pollination of the Batmùne, a few seeds with umbrellas form, which are carried by the wind to the next tree. External propagation only works on trees that are at least ten years old. On the one hand, the white lime trees only start producing the salty syrup at this age. In addition, this is the only way to ensure that the branches can support the weight of the tendrils without breaking. Batmùnes are “social” plants. This means that they are not bothered if seeds from other Batmùnes settle on their tree during the flowering period.
Change Tendrils live as long as their host lives. The oldest white linden trees are over five hundred years old. However, the false flowers die after fertilization, leaving only the thick foot behind. After just one month, a new false flower sprouts from the base, which grows to its natural size of twenty centimeters in about six months and remains closed until the real flowering time a year later. Then the cycle begins again.

Use

As early as the 8th millennium BEC, the first Âdocôdix recognized the strength of the Batmùne and used the tendrils to build tree houses. When removing the tentrils, the Âdocôdix make sure that they do not cause “life-threatening” damage to the tree. The first builders calculated a maximum removal of forty percent per tree per year if the tree was around fifty years old. Depending on the size of the tree, this results in a production rate of around 1,200 meters to 12,000 meters in length per year.
The tendrils remain flexible until about a month after they are removed from the tree. Only then do they become woody, which provides additional stability. The tendrils are used for ornately decorated railings or window and door arches. It is possible to flatten the loops. The goblins then weave these leaves together to make mats for the roofs, for example. Depending on use, they have a shelf life of ten to fifteen years.
The second use is in the extraction of a jelly to make candles. To do this, the red false flowers are carefully removed after fertilization and just above the base of the foot. The rest dies naturally, ensuring a new flower from maturing. The collected leaves are pressed in a mill and the jelly, which gives the false flowers their red color, is filled into small crucibles together with a wick. When the jelly has hardened after about a month, the resulting candles can be used. Its scent has a light cinnamon note and has a calming effect.

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In response to Mochi's WorldEmber Species Challenge

Describe a plant species symbolic in a culture and a common fast-growing plant species.