Stoutplage

The stoutplage split from its ancestor, moving into the colder biomes in the southwestern part of Darwin.

It has several adaptations for keeping warm. First, its leaves have a waxy outer coating, in a similar way to pine needles, for preventing water loss. Second, its “trunk” has developed into a set of sealed, hollow segments. These segments have an inner layer of food-storing cells for during the really cold times, while the hollow center traps warm air.

Since its reproduction takes up quite a bit of energy, it has reduced the amount of time it reproduces. It will only produce fruit for a short period of time (about a week), then it will shed its fruit. While it has its fruit it will produce sap and open tiny pores on its leaf tips for its flowers to be pollinated; after it sheds its fruit it will continue to produce sap for about a week more. The time in between its fruit-bearing period is about 6 weeks.

An individual will live for about 30 years, every year it will grow a new segment. Other than these changes, it’s the same as its ancestor.