THE
IN'ILÁ
SHRUB
("CLIMBER") |
The In’ilá
(Styrásh
In’ilá,
"climber", lit. "to scale unmoving, e.g. rock face"), is an evergreen shrub, closely
related to the cloewen tree. Like its wild
Quallian relative a sparse, straggly,
shrub, though this sub-species has a climbing habit, often found wound around
the trunks of other trees and through branches.
Appearance. The
In’ilá eminates from a trunk, that grows to no more than 0.2 peds in height.
From this low level, the In’ilá sprouts long flexible
branches that look rather more like vines than branches. As the tree often grows
deep in the forest, these branches often grow to great heights, demonstrating
a climbing habit, they wind their way around the trunks of other trees to reach
the light found higher in the canopy.
However, generating such long branches is time comsuming (even if the
In’ilá is quicker growing than any of its three
relatives) and energy consuming. The In’ilá may conserve
its energy by rooting in knolls of other, taller trees, forming a parasitic
relationship with the host tree. This is achieved by an adaptation unique to the
In’ilá, not shared by its relatives. It has the ability
to generate a physiological bridge between its self and
the host tree, instead of generating the traditional root system. Seeds land on
the host tissue, especially in bird droppings, and germinate after reading a
chemical stimulus from the host. A modified root is generated that becomes an
Ormium (borrower); this root is chemotrophic, i.e., responding to a chemical
gradient, and contacts the host tissue. The root then attaches by pushing
against the plant and forming a disc, and secretes a sugar based adhesive. The
root tip then mechanically penetrates the host and establishes a vascular
connection by attaching vessels and positioning phloem (the tissue that carries
sugars in all plants) next to that of the host phloem. Plants rely on diffusion
to distribute nutrients, thus the phloem must be 'leaky', allowing the adjacent
In’ilá phloem to steal from its host. This has the added
advantage for the In’ilá in that it is then closer to the
canopy top, and can begin utilizing
light almost upon germination. Thus the In’ilá is often
found wound around other trees.
The most visible similarity between the In’ilá and the
cloewen
tree is in the shape of the leaves (almost identical in size, colour and
texture to those of the cloewen
tree) that are held all year round and the large pale pink flowers, that are
longer lasting than those of the cloewen
tree. After flowering the plant develops large pink
berries that are the favourite food of many forest dwelling birds.
The plant is widely cultivated among both humans
and elves, being a popular climber, grown
around doors and windows. However, full trees can be cultivated if original out
shoots are removed, forcing the tree to grow upward and form a trunk. Such
cultivation is considered by many elven tribes
to be an art form.
Territory.
The In’ilá requires a long growing season, especially
after germination, to allow the tree to become established. As a result it does
not do well in the more northerly
parts of Santharia, the cold winters, and
night frosts often prove fatal for young specimens. Thus, it is rarely found
north of the Heath of Jernais. In’ilá
flourish in the warm southerly forests of the
Zeiphyr,
the Auturian
Woods and the Sharadon Forests.
Strangely they are not found in the Quallian.
This may be because they are out competed by several very fast growing vines
unique to the Quallian.
Usages.
The berries of the In’ilá are edible, and indeed when the
plant is growing parasitically the adapted root can be cut out and is rumoured
to taste rather like fish. Berries also have a slight laxative effect, are often
used medically in large amounts to flush human
systems of toxins. The In’ilá, like the other members of
the group, produce the characteristic black honey though it is sweeter than many
of the other types.
Reproduction.
The main thing that marks the In’ilá as a member of the
cloewen family is that each tree only has one sex
of flower. This is highly unusual in that the tree cannot self pollinate if
necessary! This is advantageous for variation, but means that if cross
pollination does not occur that flower will not produce seeds.
Flowers must be pollinated by bees or small birds seeking nectar kept at the
very back of the flower. Seeds develop very quickly after pollination inside
small fleshy pink berries. They are very bitter until the seeds are ripe, so
preventing the fruit being consumed by animals and birds too early. Distribution
of seeds is predominantly by animal excretion of the seeds.
Information provided by
Wren
|