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Featherblade (Plumostrum darwinensis)

Creator: Ethos
Ancestor: Darwinblades
Habitat: Ethos-Zorcuspine Temperate Watershed, Ethos Marsh, West Darwin Temperate Woodland Mid Darwin Temperate Woodland, Mid Darwin Temperate Beach
Size: 2 m tall
Support: Unknown
Diet: Photosynthesis
Respiration: Unknown
Thermoregulation: Unknown
Reproduction: Sexual (spores, 2 sexes), Budding

Featherblade split from its ancestor and specialized in temperate, open wetland habitats. In marshes, moist beach swales, and floodplains with little tree cover, they are often a dominant species. Most hydric soils with at least 5% organic matter are suitable, but highly acidic conditions stunt growth due to reduced nutrient availability. They are taller with long leaves which narrow and dry out near the tips with age, shading out competitors and encouraging fire during droughts. The dry, brittle leaf tips are also noisy when disturbed, putting herbivores in danger of predators. After fire or significant herbivore damage, the underground root system sends up new clonal shoots. Thus, dense colonies can form and stabilize soils which may otherwise erode away. In stable environments, colonies exceeding 50 meters in diameter are not uncommon.

Reproduction is much like that of its ancestor- the leaf tips produce microgametes before drying out completely, and are distributed by wind to macrogametes on the inflorescences. Maturity is reached after several months of growth in good conditions, but an inflorescence may not appear for a year in mild droughts. Moderate to severe droughts, while rare in its habitats, cause high mortality of individuals less than 1 year old. Individual shoots last 3-5 years, but a colony may persist for over a hundred years. Seeds have a thick waxy coating and are primarily gravity and water-dispersed. Established populations mostly reproduce asexually.

This post has been edited by Ethos: Mar 1 2023, 08:07 PM

There’s a period at the end of the scientific name, as some kind of oversight. The reproduction methods should be capitalized.

How quickly does it grow? What are the typical lifespans of individuals and colonies? What are its soil preferences? (A quick check, as well as basic knowledge of soil properties, suggests marshy areas tend to have silty or clayey soils.)

QUOTE (Coolsteph @ Feb 22 2023, 05:44 PM)

There’s a period at the end of the scientific name, as some kind of oversight. The reproduction methods should be capitalized. How quickly does it grow? What are the typical lifespans of individuals and colonies? What are its soil preferences? (A quick check, as well as basic knowledge of soil properties, suggests marshy areas tend to have silty or clayey soils.)

Corrected and added more on life history and niche preferences. I am leaving out specifics on soil texture which is not important for this species. As with many widespread wetland herbaceous species, as long as the soil is hydric and has some organics they'll grow in sand, clay, or silt.