Mandolin Volleypom

The Mandolin Volleypom split from its ancestor the Contorted Volleypom and spread more inland. It can be found scattered near streams and other waterways, forming small loose woodlands. Their aboveground body consists of a central, fairly straight trunk with many well-forked strong branches coming off it.

Their leaves diverge from the typical volleypom long pinnate appearance somewhat. The winter leaf remains similar to their ancestor, though longer, but the summer leaf has changed its growth pattern to only develop tracheal veins and other complex tissue toward the tip of the supportive tracheal vein core. This results in an unappetizing bare stem holding the leaf away from the twigs of the tree and decreasing the density of the canopy. This decrease of leaf density allows greater air flow throughout, preventing surface pathogens and pests from spreading as easily and generally creating a less enticing environment. It also results in shade from the canopy becoming softer on flora on the forest floor. This gentler environment provides adequate light for Mandolin Volleypom sprouts to do well, while also shading out more light demanding floral life.

Megasporangium grow in small clusters and are 15 cm long. Their shape is rather elongate with long entry points for capturing airborne spores. The megasporangiums have air pockets near their back ends, much as in their ancestor’s megasporangiums. This aids the megasporangium in floating if it falls into rivers, creeks, or ponds. However the air pocket is smaller and this ability to float is often less successful due to no longer needing to survive lengths of time in oceanic waters.

Microsporangia are longer in shape than their ancestor's. Where their ancestral structure tended toward 3 cm long these are more typically 6 cm long. They grow in very loose clusters that measure only about 30 cm in size. Otherwise, they look and function similarly to a usual Volleypom microsporangium.