Umbrosa

With so many herbivores dominating Fermi island, some sunstalks forsook the fleshy leaves of their ancestors for a more impenetrable defense to protect their soft innards. Formed from a fusion of both the leaves and "flower", the umbrosa has evolved a rock-hard shell that turns back all but the most specialized (or determined) of thornbacks, as well as the abrasive sandstorms that plague the regions it inhabits. Deep roots penetrate far into the sand, finding even the tiniest patches of moisture, in order to sustain these flora, though in fact the majority of the water they acquire comes from morning dew, which becomes trapped in their openings and absorbed. The rare yet destructive rains are also a source of water, and it is here that the roots serve a second purpose, to prevent these flora from becoming uprooted in the ensuing flash floods. Because of traits like these, the umbrosa have begun to spread throughout the island, becoming one of the dominant flora to inhabit it.