Hex Lettuce
| Hex Lettuce | ||
|---|---|---|
| (Alternafunda lactucadiabolii) | ||
 | ||
 | ||
 | ||
| Information | ||
| Creator | Colddigger Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/167 | |
| Habitat | Barlowe Chaparral, Barlowe Bush, Barlowe Subtropical Woodland, Barlowe Temperate Woodland | |
| Size | 8 m Tall | |
| Primary Mobility | Sessile | |
| Support | Cell Wall (Cellulose) | |
| Diet | Photosynthesis | |
| Respiration | Passive (Stomata) | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectotherm | |
| Reproduction | Sexual (Gliding Berries and Puffy Spores, Seeds) | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Kingdom Subkingdom Division Class Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Phoenoplastida Phoenophyta (info) Rhagioanthia Acininumeropsida Comalasales Arthrocampanaceae Alternafunda Alternafunda lactucadiabolii | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
|---|---|
The hex lettuce split from its ancestor and quadrupled in size. It has spread to Barlowe Subtropical Woodland and Barlowe Temperate Woodland. Their soft trunk gradually lignifies as it ages, though only reaching about 8 or 9% lignin with a good portion of the upper half having even less. Growth of the trunk is both outward in diameter as well as internodal lengthening, with an incorporation of the petiole or leaf sheaths that surround the central trunk. Like all members of this lineage the leaves grow in a bilateral and alternating formation. The organism is completely lacking of any true branches, rather hosting very large sheaths and petioles net support single extremely compounded palmate leaves. About five leaves can be grown in a year, and an individual leaf may have a life of about two or three years before it begins to wither and be shed.
The slings of this organism develop alongside an accompanying leaf and often are retained for the duration of the existence of that leaf. Early on in their development the slings develop puffy spores that they release into the air for wind dispersal. As they mature they develop a thin membrane inside their elbow which captures these puffy spores and shuttle them along developing ovaries. As they mature these fertilized ovary structures develop into long chimes of berries structured very similarly to their ancestor, these may tumble or glide depending on structure, weight, and other factors. An individual sling may develop thousands of berries on many chimes before they actually desiccate and launch their payload.
These berries may be symmetrical in their wings which more often than not results in tumbling, or they may have an asymmetry to their wings which results in the more classical helicoptering reminiscent of their distant ancestor the Lightberry. Unlike that ancestor however the embryos inside do not preemptively develop into plantlets prior to launch. Each Berry contains a single seed structure and embryo, which may remain dormant after two dry spells and beginning growth during the following wet period.
Growth begins with the development of fibrous roots and short-lived heavily compounded yet not palmate leaves with tightly packed sheaths surrounding a short stem. Much of this first year is spent lengthening this central stem and building their root system. During this period if their central growth point is severely damaged or eaten they stop growing new leaves, their internodal growth points may continue to elongate but eventually the organism dies as its old leaves with her and shed. The hex lettuce becomes capable of sexual reproduction by its second year, producing slings alongside each of its new leaves, though each of these slings only produces a handful of berries, and the leaves that accompany them are still not large and palmate. Through this second year it continues it's process of rapid growth, however near the end of this season they can be up to 80 cm tall and small but standard leaves begin to emerge while the trunk more rapidly puts on a greater diameter and lignifies. As they age the number of leaves produced drops while the overall size of each leaf is increased and length between nodes is increased as well.
Their preferred habitats are near locations where water accumulates. They grow best in soils that are rich in organic matter, to provide nutrients for their rapid growth, however they are able to handle poorer soils and dryer soils due to their large and deep root systems. However they do not handle hard pan well and will die shortly after attempting to grow in such situations. Though able to handle dappled shade during their first two years, they do not tolerate light competition with taller Flora as they become older. Hex lettuce prefers to establish themselves in open areas, or recently cleared spots in forests. A benefit of recently cleared spots is that any fallen trees will provide extra nutrients as they break down.
Although in the subtropical regions they are true everpurple in the temperate biomes they may be considered semi everpurple. Hanging on to the leaflets as long as possible, and only dropping them if there are sudden shifts in temperature that damage their tissues before they can harden off or during extended colder Winters. Dropped leaflets are not replaced and the leaf becomes a withered skeleton that simply hangs on the flora until it is shed. Responses to Winters are mainly to increase sugar contents inside living cells and decrease water content.