Accursed Cactus
A dangerous plant found in the Kaktis Desert. It sensed creatures that approached by it using special roots capable of detecting the weight of things above them. Once in range, this green flora would project its spines in the direction of the movement sensed. This defensive mechanism helped protect the plant from herbivores who would seek to harvest its stored fluids within.
Accursed cacti were very difficult to distinguish from other more harmless cacti--as such, harvesting water from cacti in the extremely dry desert was a very risky business. At nighttime, accursed cacti would glow a vibrant blue (sometimes with a little bit of violet). This was due to a phosphorescent powder that was formed on its skin--invisible by day, but brilliant once the sun set. The powder was often harvested and used as decorative material by various cultures. As an example, the powder could be mixed with clear resin and applied to armour for unique stylings in low-light environments.
Biology #
Accursed cacti were a 2-meter tall plat with a dark green colour. Its body consisted of a central barrel with two protruding, right angled limbs facing the sky. Both the limbs and the central barrel taper into points.
The entirety of the cactus' surface was covered in thorns, each of which were 1 cm thick at the base, and could be up to 10 cm long. Thorns were brownish, but shifted to black towards the tip.
Accursed cacti possessed an extremely large root network that extended both far down into more nutrient rich soils beneath the sand, and very far horizontally. The upper layers of horizontal roots were sensitive to the touch, and were used by the cactus to detect creatures that tread over the roots. These roots can spread up to 4 meters away, which is roughly the average distance an accursed cactus was capable of launching its thorns.
A single accursed cacti could live for an average of 105 years.
Thorn Launching Mechanism #
The thorn-launching mechanism was based on what was essentially a biological hydraulic system. Weight placed upon roots would cause an increased pressure to build up within the fluid channels in the roots. This pressure shockwave traveled quickly through the thin veins of the cactus' roots all the way up into the barrel body and limbs of the plant. There, thorns facing the position of the triggered roots were launched at a surprisingly high velocity.
The thorn-launching mechanism was extremely complex and powerful considering its diminutive size. Behind each cactus thorn, there was a small chamber of air. Upon root stimulus, this chamber was quickly filled with fluid, forcing the air forward through a channel where the base of the thorn was found. The air pressure forced the thorn forward, launching it.
Genetics and Reproduction #
The cactus would flower once every 70 days, displaying vibrant pink and purple flowers. With a low population density, accursed cacti pollen had to withstand days if not weeks of remaining airborne throughout the arid, hot atmosphere of the Kaktis Desert before fertilizing another plant. Pollen from these cacti were incredibly tough and designed in a way that they could easily take back to the air if they fell upon the surface of the sand.
Accursed cacti produced fruit, which appeared as small, dark purple bulbs similar to grapes. These fruits were designed to roll across the sand, or be eaten by animals and have their seeds deposited in new locations. Fruits dropped from accursed cacti either naturally over time, or during its destruction (ie when feasted upon by a tetrashire).
Seeds #
Accursed cacti seeds were almost as durable as their pollen, as it could take a long time for them to be buried in the sands. Seeds would very quickly take root once under the sand, and could cause a brand new plant to appear within only 3 days. By the time a week had passed, a fully mature accursed cacti was grown and ready to begin reproducing.
Biological Cycle #
These cacti did not react strongly to any environmental stimuli (excluding their complex root defense system). They bloomed based on an internal biological clock dictated by the changing in temperature to determine the number of days that had passed.
Dietary Needs and Habits #
As a desert organism, accursed cacti were extremely efficient with what little water and nutrients may be at their disposal. Their defensive thorn-launching ability allowed them to avoid water loss from lacerations inflicted by opportunistic herbivores, as well as loss of sugars and other internally stored nutrients.
Animals (or even people) killed by its thorns may would act as fertilizer as the sand swallowed the corpse.
Ecology and Habitats #
Native to the Kaktis Desert, accursed cacti were designed to house water to outlast the drier seasons. However, they lacked the same water storage capacity that larger cacti may have, and therefore relied on their defensive mechanisms to protect their water supply.
Accursed cacti were capable of growing in more fertile lands, however their roots were not as effective at growing in denser soils, resulting in a smaller root system. Cacti that grew in more temperate environments experienced a lack of structural integrity or decreased water and nutrient uptake.
Accursed cacti were also sensitive to higher volumes of water--regions where rainfall was more common than the Kaktis Desert could cause the cactus to become dangerously turgid with water, leading to cellular lysis of the roots.
Domestication #
Jinifar grew accursed cacti in special gardens. Elevated catwalks over the soil the plants were grown in would prevent the launching of thorns, while allowing farmers to safely extract seeds, phosphorescent powder, etc.
Uses & Products #
Accursed cacti naturally produced a powdery white substance that stuck to the plant's waxy surface. This substance was phosphorescent, causing the plant to glow a beautiful bluish-purple in the dark. The glow of this powder could last up to 13 hours due with the intense light in the daytime of the Kaktis Desert.
Jinifarians and travelling merchants would harvest this powder carefully from the plant's surface and use it to decorate all sorts of things. Seafaring ships from Siman may had their entire sails covered in this powder, making them stand out at night time. Other intricate patterns could be painted onto surfaces by combining this powder with resin--the famous night festivals across Jinifar were truly a spectacle to behold. Certain traveling lancers also enjoyed decorating their armour and blades with this powder to give them an intimidating glow (which was sometimes enough to fool would-be opponents into thinking their gear was enchanted with magical properties).