Bristlepile

The Bristlepile split from its ancestor. It tends to be found in drier biomes and up in the mountains, where avoiding water loss is important. In order to do this, it has shifted away from hair-like leaves and more towards thicker, stiffer ones comparable to those of a Terran Joshua Tree which resist desiccation. The waxy component that previously made their berries waterproof has been repurposed for making the leaves more resistant to desiccation as well. Its leaves are set on the ends of branch, rather than growing along the trunk. Its bark can now perform photosynthesis, making up for some of the lost surface area in its leaves. It has lost its adaptive trunk, not needing it in open environments.

In some parts of its range, such as Darwin Plains, the Bristlepile follows a typical seasonal appearance of berries in the spring. However, in the rest of its range and up in the mountains, it instead produces them when it rains, as it has a surplus of water during that time. The berries grow between the leaves and along the branches. Its berries are very sweet, attracting herbivores and small fauna to devour them and therefore spread it around. The blue-hued berries remain sticky and glue-like, though this is partly from unintentional pollination from ancestor, which resides in bordering biomes. The berries are no longer waterproof, because they don’t need to be.

The Bristlepile has adapted a thicker trunk and tubers in its roots in order to help it survive in the desert.