Greysnip

The greysnip replaces its ancestor in the western part of the Fermi Desert. Greysnips' leaves grow on extensions of the stem. These stem extensions are called hilts. The long, sharp leaves grow upright, with five to eight leaves per hilt. This growth habit is an adaptation to herbivory, for no herbivores (at time of its evolution) are equipped to comfortably eat the leaves of a grown greysnip. If sufficiently grown, it reproduces whenever there is rain or floods. At this time, it draws upon the energy in its tuber to rapidly grow a delicate spore chamber between its hilts. The spores are emitted in a dense plume that can last up to two hours. The plume can cause temporary and localized blindness, on account of the density of the smoky plume and the irritating effect the spores have on the eyes. Unlike their relatives, they can reproduce sexually. Should spores from unrelated individuals land in the spore chamber, the greysnip produces a moist channel around the spore, funneling it to the base of the spore chamber. The spores are kept in a thin "cap" until the next time it rains or floods. When it rains or floods, the greysnip resumes reproduction, this time fusing each foreign spore with one of its own spores before release. This means that greysnips reproduce aesexually first, and sexually later. It also means they release fewer spores when reproducing sexually. Its "hilts" are made of fairly soft, wood-like cellulose. They easily split in half should a fauna wrench them apart with only the strength of the average human. Despite its brittleness, it's very difficult for flagg grazers to feed on greysnips' leaves due to the leaves' upright nature and the closely-spaced hilts. This is because flagg grazers have neither flexible necks for tilting their heads while feeding nor flexible mouthparts to rip off the pieces at different angles. Curazzopes also find greysnips' leaves tricky to eat, but have more success than flagg grazers. Hilts grow back readily and fairly quickly if broken. If fed on too frequently for a span of time (on average, two weeks), the greysnips cease leaf growth and enter a state of reduced metabolism. During this time, they depend on energy stored in their tubers. When the greysnips' leaves don't regrow, the herbivores look elsewhere for food. This reaction helps the greysnips deal with high herbivore density. After some time of reduced herbivory frequency, the greysnips resume normal metabolism and regrow their leaves. Their sexual reproduction helps them fend off parasites, which can drain a greysnip's energy even when the flora is in a dormant state. They also produce azadirachtin, a natural pesticide compound effective against most species of sapworms.