Goblin Stalks

Goblin stalks are parasites of umbrosas. When a wind-blown goblin stalk spore germinates close to an umbrosa, it produces a small, delicate synthetic phytid. The synthetic phytid's small size and short, curved, fleshy leaves make it look like the common mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. The synthetic phytid photosynthesizes until it collects enough energy to produce a storage phytid directly beneath it. (Goblin stalks have specialized cloning roots tucked in the base of the stem.) Once the synthetic phytid is established, the synthetic phytid withers and the storage phytid sends out modified, fast-growing cloning roots. When the goblin stalk's roots touch the roots of an umbrosa, they dissolve the root walls with enzymes and grow into the small hole produced. From there, it siphons nutrients from the umbrosa, "sliding" through the umbrosa's roots if the tissue around the entry point dies.

Parasitizing umbrosas gives the goblin stalk a reproductive advantage over its relatives. It no longer has to produce irritating spores, photosynthesize (except briefly), or exert effort in finding its own water and minerals. This allows it to invest more energy into reproduction. To be specific, its reproductive output can be 5 to 8 times higher than its ancestor. This high reproductive output is partly out of necessity, for only a few spores have the luck to germinate close enough to an umbrosa. Though umbrosas are one of the dominant flora on Fermi and have only two herbivores, (Billdeka, Duramboar), young goblin stalks have a maximum root range of 60 cm long. If its roots do not encounter umbrosa roots within that range, they die within five days. There are several ways they can die at this stage: overheating, evaporative water loss, being crushed underfoot by a fauna, being eaten by a fauna, attacked by parasitic flora or microbes, washed away in a rare flood, chilled by an unusually cold desert night, and so on.

In autumn, the goblin stalk sends out more cloning roots. These shallow-growing roots produce spore phytids. Once a spore phytid is produced, the root continues to grow, encircling the host umbrosa with five to eight spore phytids. These spore phytids may be slightly different sizes, since they aren't produced at exactly the same time. The spore phytid ring resembles the rings of mushrooms, or "fairy rings", that grow around trees in autumn. While fairy rings can be produced by helpful mycrorrhizal fungi, the spore phytid rings are produced by parasites. Thus, the spore phytid rings are called "goblin rings" in malevolent contrast to fairy rings, and the species itself is called "goblin stalks".

Goblin stalks grow best in fine-textured basaltic soil, so an umbrosa's parasite load on other soils is potentially lower.