Tetrabrachs

Tetrabrachs split from their ancestor and diversified into a genus of trees and shrubs found all over Lamarck and the surrounding islands. Resembling some sort of hybrid between a fern and a pine tree, these hardy everpinks survive just about everywhere in their range from the frigid boreal forests to the warmer temperate shrublands and even the wetlands and beaches, and they even dot the plains.

The many tetrabrach species vary primarily in size and the degree of “spread” or “sprawl” of their four prongs. Woodlands and rainforests are populated by two main morphs, those with thinner, more flexible prongs sticking straight up and those with thicker, diagonal prongs mostly supported by loosely interlocking with one another. The two morphs will usually co-exist in the same area, with the diagonal morphs catching the light which passes the narrow profile of the vertical morphs. This duality is also observed in old growth shrubland, though shrubland species are typically much smaller than woodland ones. In the dry open plains, most local species are small and vertical and are only found in isolation or in small clusters around bodies of water. Vertical morphs are also more common in the mountains. Part of the reason for this is because the flexible vertical morphs are more wind-resistant than their less flexible diagonal counterparts. However, the diagonal morphs dominate in wetlands, palus, beaches, and tiny islands in the mangals, as they are more stable on the soft ground. Some wetland species have a sprawl so great they might even be better described as horizontal than diagonal. The two morphs readily evolve into one another, and can even exist in a single species.

The branches along the prongs are flexible and will readily bend when laden with snow, causing it to slide off. The bristle-like leaves are resistant to water loss, which helps the species thrive in both very cold and very dry environments. The prongs and branches can support small fauna and can bend under their weight, though only the diagonal morphs can support larger creatures without snapping. They can regrow after a prong is broken, and in some cases they will fork after such injuries.

Like their ancestor, tetrabrachs can reproduce either sexually or asexually with either gamete spores or clonal spores, respectively, which grow from the ends of their branches. They are dependent on water to bring their spores together, generally making use of rain or snowmelt. During development, they are initially skinny and only their trunks have heartwood until they reach their full trunk-level height, at which point the interior of the prongs lignify for support as they grow longer and thicker. Larger species can take decades to reach full size.