Alpfrond

With such little large flora growing within the alpine regions of Dixon and Darwin, the ancestors of what would one day become the Alpfrond began to evolve. Once a species within the Glaalgae genus, it grew large as it began to exploit a niche that, up until that point in the history of the region, had only been utilized by such species as the Lacy-Leaf Obsiditree. As it was able to handle harsher temperature drops higher up the mountainsides, however, it was able to avoid coming into direct competition with those black flora. Much like its ancestral kin, the Alpfrond is well adapted to life under cold, harsh conditions. As such, it been able to thrive within the mountainous regions of Sagan IV. With time, they spread throughout the neighboring regions as well, eventually coming to dominate most of the cooler interior of the Dixon-Darwin supercontinent. One major adaptation that has led to the success of the Alpfrond over its smaller kin is the evolution involving both its reproductive strategy and its chitinous exterior. The small outgrowths, that will potentially one day grow into new individuals, are covered in long strands of feathery fronds. These filaments are lightweight, and catch even the lightest of breezes with ease. Combined with the tiny size of the budlings, they are swept up into the air and can be carried away for miles before eventually settling down. Should they find a suitable spot with enough soil and nutrients to sustain them, they will eventually grow up and reach maturity over the course of several winters. The chitinous lenses of the Alpfronds are more opaque than those of their ancestors. As such, their ability to melt snow and heat up the surrounding soil is greatly reduced, at least to a degree. While they are still able to get ample amounts of water from this, they no longer pose much of a threat to other flora. As such, wherever an Alpfrond is to be found, one can often find a lush assortment of smaller flora flourishing around it as they exploit the better growing conditions and access to liquid water. Should they not succumb to either environmental conditions, disease or herbivory, an Alpfrond can potentially live to be over 300 years old, if not longer.