Windwood tree
Basic Information
Anatomy
Individual windwood trees are sturdy and strong, but not as thick as most large trees. Their bark is smooth and flexible to compensate for the twisting trunks.
Ecology and Habitats
The windwood is a temperate species, but it can tolerate a slightly wider range of climates than other trees. They tend to become the dominant species in any forest they take root in, and they form the basis for the lives of many different animals in their areas. Their broad sprawling canopies shelter the forest floor, and their sap is an important foodstuff for many different species.
Biological Cycle
Windwood saplings are sturdy and free-standing in the first years of their lives. As they develop, they start emitting chemicals from their tops that signal nearby saplings to start growing towards them. The chemical has a sweet scent that many animals find appealing as well - it is used to flavor the filling of the well-known windwood bread. Usually, this signal results in three trees growing towards one another. Once the group is formed, the trees start emitting a different chemical with the opposite effect. The two chemicals are emitted in fluctuating pulses, and the push and pull of the three trees as they grow results in the triple helical shape that they are known for. Once they reach maturity, only the repelling chemical is emitted, and the trees grow independently to spread through the canopy. At this point, the trees also are considered reproductively mature and begin producing acorns.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Windwood sap is one of the most important natural products used by the elves of the forest. Its complex and varying flavor makes it an incredibly versatile food additive, and almost every elvish recipe calls for some variant of windwood sap. Younger trees produce a sweet and mellow sap, while mature trees tend to have a spicy and flavorful sap. The flavors are influenced by varying levels of two chemicals that each fluctuate over the tree's lifespan, and a particular tree's flavor profile can change by the day. Some Khasranan botanists and culinarians specialize in tracking the lifespan of individual trees in order to best estimate when a tree will generate sap with a particular flavor profile.
Outside of the western forests, windwood sap is best known from the pastries served during the Festival of Maiden and Tree. Bread flavored with sap from a mature tree is braided around a filling flavored with sap from a young tree, and the blend of the two flavors makes for a popular and flexible dessert.
Lifespan
200 years
Conservation Status
Least concern
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