Ramulbane

The ramulbane replaced it's ancestor, having fully adapted to life on their new home of Ramul. They grow in thick "vines" on the every surface they can get purchase on, and like their ancestors have a high tolerance for shade, allowing them to grow well even in thicker forest areas. Beside their size, their more notable adaptation is that they have intensified their deterrent properties. Their cells contain a higher concentration of calcium oxalate, which when damaged either by a bite or when struck by a shrog tail, will cause a sharp burning sensation. The ramulbane spores are also thick with the substance, and if the time of year is right they will release a cloud of them on any attacker. This generally results in not only the victim being coated in the burning chemical, but they have a high likelihood of inhaling it, which can cause pulmonary and oral irritation and in some cases death by asphyxiation, though this is less common. This tends to work in the benefit of the flora, as victims struck by this will typically attempt to relieve the burning by aggressively rubbing against surfaces like rocks or other flora, giving the ramulbane spores a new place to implant. In the more uncommon cases where this is fatal, the ramulbane spores can use the corpse as nutrients. Organisms with more porous skin can be particularly negatively affected, such as local scooters and uktank species, with symptoms lasting for days to even weeks. As a result, the local populations of soft skinned species have learned to avoid thickets near their sporing seasons. Shrog species on the island have seen a dramatic drop in their ability to survive, as it can be difficult to find enough wood not currently hosting ramulbane, and many individuals end up trapped on the island and starve.