Alova Plant

These brightly colored rosette plants provide beautiful pops of color in the Biaban Desert. After the rainy season the buds and flowers provide additional pops of intense color.
They are efficient at harvesting and storing water.  To protect their water stores, the plants use spines and acidic sap.
These vivid plants are often harvested by the Umadai to create the dazzling shiney material known as cactus silk of which most of their clothing is made.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The plant forms large rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves.  The leaves have a prickly margin and a heavy spike at the tip that can pierce deeply.  The flowers are tubular Maguey flowers.  The root system is a network of shallow rhizomes, which allows the plant to efficiently capture moisture from rain, condensation, and dew.

Biological Traits

To discourage preditors the leaves have sharp, spiked edges and the sap is acidic.

Genetics and Reproduction

This is a semelparous plant, flowering only once at the end of its long life. The plant produces a tall, branched stalk adorned with blossoms, which can reach a height of 25–30 ft.  However, after flowering, the plant produces adventitious shoots from the base, allowing its growth to continue despite the death of the original rosette.

Ecology and Habitats

The plant thrives in a highly porous, sandy soil and requires little water.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

This plant is used to create cactus silk. Ideally, for the best fibers, it is harvested just before the plant flowers. A difficult process due to the spikes and acidic sap.  The sap can also ruin the silk fibers if the plants are not harvested properly.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

These plants are found mainly in the Biaban Desert, although a few can be found in the surrounding savanah.

Lifespan

10 to 30 years

Average Length

The plant has a spread around 6–10 ft with gray-green leaves measuring 3–5 ft in length.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

The leaves come in emerald green, fuchsia, sapphire blue and ruby red.
The buds come in red, turquoise, orange, and green.
The flowers come in yellow, lavender, green, and violet.