Syntheleaf

Replacing its ancestor, the syntheleaf has developed from a stringy colony into a leaf-shaped organism that lines the bottoms of Yokto River and Marsh, the cells sticking to each other using their toughened outer coatings and evolved versions of the barbed appendages of their ancestors. Most cells simply photosynthesize, but those at the bottom create a number of roots to hold the upper cells in place. These roots act only as a holdfast and do not adsorb nutrients, relying on nutrients donated by higher up cells to survive. In order to reproduce, the syntheleaf releases small buds from its tip containing half-chromosome cells that land and grow into new individuals that look similar to those with whole chromosomes, just that they do not grow as quickly or as large. The half-chromosome individuals release buds that fuse with those of other half-chromosome individuals before growing into a full sized syntheleaf.