Zirconic zypress belong to the metal tree species. It has a folded stem, which grows on a vertical axis. On the way up the stem splits into a close crown. In the crown small, sharp needles filter zirconium from the air. The zirconium zypress reproduces itself once a century. For that it grows a flower. From the flower grows a small ovoid or globose seed that is encased with a protective shell which is open at the bottom.
Description
Their stem is made of to diffrent layers of zirconium. The outer layer, the bark, is a dark and toxic zirconium compound between zircomium and brom. It is made by the tree to protect itself. This also cleans the atmosphere and got bigger since the extensive use of brom. The inner layer is made of 90% pure zirconium. The tree grows from the inside and presses the outer layer apart. If the pressure is to high, it rips with a bang and a fold is made. In the riped fold the inner layer peaks out and gets slowly corroded. Older trees have more of these folds and their bark has a varying thickness.
Processing
Harvest
The trees are harvested over multiple years branch by branch. This happens in the {summer} and early {fall} before the tree starts growing again. If a tree doesn't have any branches the roots get dug out of the dirt reducing the stability until the tree can easily knocked on it's side. The roots get for better transport hammered to a zylindric stemlike form and then the stem get transported to a processing complex.
processing complex
For the first step the bark gets split with hammer and chisel into two parts. These get removed with wedges. Then the stripped stem gets milled into dust for smelting or break up into small chunks for smithing. For the milling a crane lifts the stem in a vertical mill, which is a zylindrical tube with a huge grindstone beneath and a weight on top. The resulting powder can then be smelted in a blast furnace and cast into form. That form is made out of sand that forms immediatly a glass layer around the cast objekt. The smelting happens usually at different processing plants, because the powder is more suitable for transport.
Use
After refinement, zirconium get used, because of it's strength, as a building material for houses or framework. That property also makes for good armor, but it's low plasticity hinders the wide spread use. Another use for the tree are the flowers and the seed. Because of the rarity of their good quality it get sold for alot of money and is considered a status symbol of wealth.
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