Sootplume

With a relative lack of competition within the inland areas of Fermi, it presented an opportunity for some Obsidibends that started growing there. Developing adaptations to better live in these areas, these vargants would split off and become a new species known as the Sootplume. The Sootplume does share some traits with its ancestor, such as the flexible trunk and a joint at the base of their leaves that can bend in strong winds without snapping. The species also still has a gigantic root system, with the main root initially drilling into the soil before growing out thick tendrils to gather as much nutrients as they can while also acting like an anchor. Both adaptations suit this melanophyte well, as they are by far the largest flora in a relatively vacant ecosystem and thus will face the brunt of strong winds.

The largest change seen in the Sootplume revolves around the compound leaves, which reduces overall surface area of each individual part so they are less likely to be blown off or to freeze during the cooler winters, all while not sacrificing too much of their overall photosynthetic efficiency. The greater size of the Sootplume means it towers over other trees such as the Lesser Steppespire that are present in parts of its range, giving the obsidian flora a competitive edge in gathering sunlight. It also gives the Sootplume extra height for it to then release gametes from its three spore chambers, which can then be carried for great distances by the wind as an orange haze. When the gametes meet those of another individual, they will germinate into a spore and eventually fall onto the ground to grow into a new Sootplume.

One disadvantage seen in this species compared to species like the Lesser Steppespire is that they grow much more slowly. A new Sootplume takes about fifteen to twenty years to reach sexual maturity, after which they then reproduce annually. While they take much longer to grow than other trees in the area, Sootplumes also live much longer, with individuals often living for over eighty years although a few can live for a century. As such, Sootplumes might be a rarer presence compared to other trees that live in the same biomes as them, but they are ever-present and provide longer term microhabitats for things like sapworms and xenobees. The one exception is the Fermi Temperate Woodland, where the lack of competition and pretty regular showers of rain have allowed the Sootplumes to flourish, forming great black forests not too dissimilar to those formed by their distant cousins on Wallace.