Syrup Ferine

Syrup ferines grow quickly relative to 'lurs.' This enables them to swiftly occupy a clearing in the forest formed by the death of a lurtress or lurspire. Seeds germinate in three days and grow to a fifth of adult size in only two months. While its growth slows down slightly after this point, it still reaches maturity quickly, at a few months short of a year. With this accelerated development, they can outpace 'lur' seeds, despite the lur seeds having a head start. (Lur seeds are produced earlier in the year than syrup ferine seeds.)

In the spring, it bears bright pink flowers. These flowers are pollinated by xenobees, chiefly woolly purple species. Berries are produced in the summer. Unlike their ancestors, syrup ferines do not shed their branches in autumn. However, they do shed the black twigs that bear their flowers and berries. Syrup ferines' metabolism slows down during winter, but not to the extent of its ancestor.

In the Drake Temperate Woodland environment, scarlet phlyers are the primary transporters of syrup ferine seeds. In the Yokto Temperate Riparian environment, it must rely on frugivorous minikrugg species and cloudswarmers, which are not so good at dispersing it. Consequently, population dispersion differs between their two habitats.

Since syrup ferines have better population dispersion in the Drake Temperate Woodland environment, they could occur in great numbers. However, competition with another quick-growing and early-maturing species, the towering grovecrystal, limits its population. Syrup ferines have an advantage over towering grovecrystals in some situations. Its reproductive method (dispersal by a flying fauna) allows it to colonize areas that towering grovecrystals cannot, for towering grovecrystals grow new towering grovecrystals from their roots, and thus can't spread past obstacles. (such as rivers) Furthermore, towering grovecrystals reproduce asexually. While this allows them to increase their numbers rapidly, it also means they are genetically identical, making them equally susceptible to diseases and parasites. Thus, if towering grovecrystals are locally wiped out, syrup ferines can dominate the niche towering grovecrystals formerly had, and delay their reestablishment for years.

Syrup ferine seedlings (between two and six months in age) have bark only on their trunks, but with time a thin layer of bark spreads to protect the boughs. The thickness of the bark depends on its proximity to the trunk, with the bark closest to the trunk being the thickest. Bark closer to the branches is similar to flaking birch bark. Unlike paper birches, the bark of syrup ferines does not naturally form curly sheets. However, it can be easily peeled off with one's fingernail. Syrup ferines almost always have a rim of overgrown bark at the point where its trunk splits into boughs. This rim is an artifact of swift bark growth that starts from that point.

Parts of the syrup ferine that aren't protected by bark are instead protected by secretion of latex. When wounded, a dark-brown latex smelling strongly of maple syrup issues from the wound and soon solidifies to form a scab-like covering. Tiny herbivores, such as minikruggs and sapworms, may be trapped in the latex. Trapped herbivores die either of suffocation or starvation. Larger herbivores may avoid suffocation, and may even continue feeding if they have suitable mouthparts. However, they are still stuck, and as such as easy prey. In the Drake Temperate Woodland environment, azure phlyers pick off the trapped herbivores, while in the Yokto Temperate Riparian environment, ivy thermoworms eat them once they are dead.

Fully grown syrup ferines that have completed bark development no longer produce latex in their latex channels. Tiny fauna whose width is equal to or less than 3 mm can enter these unused latex channels if there's an entry point into the branches. These fauna are typically young vermees. When the syrup ferine is dead, these channels provide detritivores easy access to the dead flora's interior. This allows spore towers to thrive inside it. When the spore towers dissolve some "skylights" in the channels, hikerflora can also live inside. Further decay allows tepoflora to live on dead syrup ferine. So great are their numbers that a fallen syrup ferine often appears to ooze grey and green goo and be covered by brown, hairy warts. The overall effect looks gross, like the rotting flesh of a zombie.

(Short description: Syrup ferines grow fast, but not as fast as towering grovecrystals. The ecology of which flora dominates a clearing in a 'lur' forest is complex. Flowers are pollinated by xenobees. Berries are spread by scarlet phlyers in the Drake Temperate Woodland environment, and by minikruggs and cloudswarmers in the Yokto Temperate Riparian habitat. Young syrup ferines have channels in their branches that produce latex. This latex protects it by trapping tiny herbivores. As an adult, it grows bark, which serves the same function. The latex channels then stop producing latex, which baby vermees live in. When it's dead, spore towers and hikerflora live inside its unused latex channels, and tepoflora live on the outside. The overall effect looks gross.)

(The description for the 'lurs' says they reproduce in the 'colder months', but I don't know exactly when the "colder months" occur in the syrup ferine's habitats. I'm assuming they reproduce in January, while syrup ferines reproduce in March. Roughly speaking, of course---due to certain differences in Sagan 4's orbital period, if its year were split into twelve months, each month would be about forty days long.) ("Tealdeera" refers to its long description. "TL;DR", which is apparently pronounced "Teal Deer", stands for "Too long; didn't read", which is what people say when they don't want to read a long post.)