Hoiax (hoi-axe)
Hoiax plants are tall and thin, perfectly suited to life on the outer edges of Midpoint and its neighbouring deserts. Leaveless as they are, hoiax use their cluster of 3 to 5 large stems to photosynthesis. Their waxy cuticle is shiny and light blue, almost white in colour, reducing water loss and reflecting the sun's rays in a glittering display that can be seen for miles.
Unlike Earth's cacti, hoiax have never evolved a defence mechanism such as spikes, since hoiax are not plagued by natural predators.
Uses & Products
Hoiax plants make up a large portion of the diet of the settlers living on CA2M1. Topians are particularly fond of hoiax, as it is the only plant which occurs naturally within the borders of Midpoint, the desert in which the Topians' home city is located. The first generation of Midpoint settlers, the ancestors of modern day Topians, were saved from starvation and dehydration by a group of hoiax located near their crash site.
It was those original settlers who discovered that carefully stripping hoiax of its tough outer skin and fermenting the softer, water-filled insides, creates a slightly sweet wine with a unique tang to it.
Genetics & Reproduction
Hoiax rely mostly on asexual reproduction to populate, since insects and animals are few and far between in the areas in which hoiax grow. However, they are also capable of being pollinated by insects like the hoiax stoneroach, one of the few creatures to live in an area populated by hoiax.
"Reaching up from the barren ground were four long, white tubes, appearing as though a giant had stuck their fingers up through the sand to reach for the suffocating air of daylight. Next to that tall cluster was another, and another beside that... I was half sure I was hallucinating from dehydration, they were so strange and miraculous."
Personal Log describing hoiax
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