Thistle Cannon

The thistle cannon replaced its ancestor the thistle burster. Like its ancestor it only lives in the volcanic regions of Wright. It grows rapidly in the rich volcano soil and depends upon the heated soil. Its bursting seed pods have evolved into a steam cannon-like structure. At the bottom, near the roots is a huge water collecting chamber which is resistant to heat. So much so it can withstand boiling temperatures in which it depends upon. Rainwater will flow down the cannon barrel as well as absorbed through the roots. Once there the heat of the volcanic soil will cause it to boil and turn into steam. Special organs stop the steam from leaving and build up high pressures. The small projectile berries sit on the other side waiting for enough pressure to build up. Then when the time is right the pressure organ will open and blast the projectile berries out into the air thus spreading them across the volcanic landscape.

It can produce berried both sexually and asexually. When reproducing sexually it will release puffy airborne spores out of the same chamber. However since they are so light they do not need to be blasted. They travel through the air and will stick to the outside of the barrel of other thistle cannons in which their DNA will be passed on to it so it can make more projectile berries.

Just before eruptions many thistle cannons will release their seed not only because they cannot keep the pressure in but because it helps them spread in the new ash soil before they themselves get consumed by the blast of the volcano. The berries themselves are not very tasty and are made to withstand heat and physical damage, thus they are really more like nuts than berries.