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Rockybloom (Rizoramose petrophilus)

Creator: Kopout
Ancestor: Blooming Purplestem
Habitat: Glicker Cloud Forest, Glicker Volcanic, Bot Montane Riparian
Size: 30 cm wide
Support: Cell Wall (Cellulose)
Diet: Photosynthesis (sun loving, shade tolerant)
Respiration: Passive (stomata?)
Thermoregulation: Ectotherm
Reproduction: Sexual (Hermaphrodite, airborne gametes and spores)

With the extinction of the large petrolignopsids that they grew on the blooming purplestem has gone into decline. One surviving population in Glicker has taken to growing on rocks instead as they provide a similar enough substrate. This population would go on to become the rockybloom. While it has not fully replaced its ancestor and small populations of blooming purplestems survive in the rainforest they are rare, and becoming more so as time goes on.

Rockyblooms have reduce main stems compared to their ancestors. Their thin roots are photosynthetic and are the main photosynthetic structure. Some of their roots run horizontally out from the main body and lift slight into the air further out while others remain small and anchor them to the substrate. Small nodules at the junctions of root branches hold colonies of nitrogen fixing microbes which help them thrive despite the lack of soil. They are successful early- to mid-succession flora thanks to their ability to grow on bare rock and are especially common in Glicker Volcanic as a result. While they can tolerate shade they thrive best in open sun and tend to be found in recently disturbed areas and in areas too rocky for larger flora to establish themselves.

Reproduction involves the production of macro- and micro-gametes in small gametophores on the sides of the main stem. Macro-gametes are retained while microgametes are shed. When microgames come into contact with microgames the combine and begin dividing into multiple genetically identical spores which are then released. Self-fertilization is uncommon as macrogametes and microgamets are produced on separate gametophores.

This post has been edited by kopout: Feb 19 2023, 04:30 PM

Tbh the image is kinda small here, it looks too much like straight up pixel art. I know it’s only a plant, but I think the resolution should still be higher to get a better idea of how it’s shaped. For example, it’s unclear how sharp or blunt the ending of each root is.

Is that better? I'm trying to keep it from getting too blurry

I don't think a small image is a problem as long as it's readable. A blurry image, meanwhile, is not.

So which one should I use? Is this one too blurry or not?

This is the original


and this is the bigger one, in case I need it again

Click to expand

This post has been edited by kopout: Feb 19 2023, 04:31 PM

Although I’ve occasionally made small art, that is really small. This is particularly true because the rock is much bigger than the oactual organism depicted. Making the art four times bigger would make it more standard for small-sized Sagan 4 art.

Rocks don’t necessarily provide a similar substrate to petrolignopsids. You could probably specify what kinds of rocks are comparable. Big, eroded and porous rocks covered in organic matter might be the closest equivalent.

“Rainforest they are”: Rainforest, they are.
“Have reduce”: Have reduced.
It’s not the custom on Sagan 4 to specify sunlight regimes in the photosynthesis section, although it is such useful information to know that perhaps a new custom could be made.
I’ll have to get back to this later.