Coralshroom

Coralshroom is a type of mushroom native to the whirlpool reefs. It grows off of dead corals in the reef, decomposing them before spreading its spores through the waters that it calls home. It uses the whirlpools common in the reefs to help spread its spores over longer distances, allowing it to reproduce throughout the entirety of the reefs. These coralshrooms are highly desireable both within and without the reefs where they make their homes, as they have become popular as decorations, as additives to certain foods, and even as life-saving anti-bacterial medicines.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Coralshrooms are small mushrooms growing in fan-like patterns across the corals that they feed on. Their growth prioritises width, rather than depth, so they can be spotted growing across entire sections of reef.
Sometimes, however, the coralshrooms will grow on coral that is not yet dead. Growing atop this coral prevents it from getting the nutrients it needs, and often will cause those sections of coral to die off - allowing the coralshroom to get more nutrients.

Genetics and Reproduction

The coralshroom reproduces through spores that it releases into the water. These spores cannot survive for long without somewhere to start growing, and so they rely on faster methods of travel. The primary method for a coralshroom's spores to travel across larger distances is through the whirlpools that are abundantly common in the area where the coralshrooms grow, allowing them to expand their horizons much more than they would have been able to with stationary or regularly-flowing water.

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Geographic Distribution

• Whirlpool Reefs

Related Ethnicities

• Coralite Kuuyik

Use

The coralshroom has a few different uses, some more notable than others. These uses can be categorised three ways: for decorations, foods, and medicines.

Decoration

Within the whirlpool reefs, coralite kuuyikar will sometimes plant these shrooms in pots or other controlled areas as decorations. The various pastel colours of the shroom are a great way to brighten up a space, and they can survive for a long time on very little, making them an ideal house plant for the coralites.

Food

Coralshrooms are edible for most species, though their taste is somewhat salty and bland. They can be used to make coral cake, though this dish does not benefit from its addition whatsoever. It has been known to make a good addition to some earthier surface foods, such as barknoodles, however, and it can also be used to make tasty salts.

Medicine

Coralshroom work wonderfully as an anti-biotic, and are used abundantly in medicines on the surface. Other than coralglass, coralshrooms are one of the most coveted things to trade for within the whirlpool reefs, making these reefs a highly desireable location for traders to come and visit.