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groworld_story [2009-04-20 15:35] – 81.188.78.24 | groworld_story [2020-06-06 08:30] – old revision restored (2009-05-19 15:03) 114.119.166.29 | ||
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===== groWorld: Borrowed Scenery ===== | ===== groWorld: Borrowed Scenery ===== | ||
- | draft 200904: towards pataphores of plant_guilds... (at the moment prosaic descriptions based on metaphores and archetypes, not very ' | + | draft 200904: towards pataphores of [[plant guilds]]... (at the moment prosaic descriptions based on metaphores and archetypes, not very ' |
==== Layers ==== | ==== Layers ==== | ||
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=== Layer: Canopy === | === Layer: Canopy === | ||
- | Plants in this layer are the stanchions of the world. They loop over the other life-forms, diffusing otherwise sharp light and tinting it viridian - making sure that the colour of the greening force (Viriditas) seeps through every particle of air, liquids and solids. These quiet and slow giants shade and colour the world, as well as provide support through the thick bones of their trunks. The bones (thin and elongated, massive and sturdy) support the plant' | + | Plants in this layer are the stanchions of the world. They loop over the other life-forms, diffusing otherwise sharp light and tinting it viridian - making sure that the colour of the greening force (Viriditas) seeps through every particle of air, liquids and solids. These quiet and slow giants shade and colour the world, as well as provide support through the thick bones of their trunks. The bones (thin and elongated, massive and sturdy) support the plant' |
- | These plants are so huge and so ancient that, close to the ground, they seem fossilised and almost mineral. Their behaviour, as seen from the ground, seems extremely slow and inactive. However, deep underground and high above ground, they dominate the landscape with their muted, murmuring whispering conversations. | + | |
- | Their reproduction cycle is equally slow and majestic. When they are ready to produce offspring, | + | == Reproduction == |
+ | |||
+ | Their reproduction cycle is equally slow and majestic. When they are ready to produce offspring, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Seeds == | ||
+ | The seeds of canopy trees are packed in a long, thin seed-pod. Within | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | The canopy trees reach deep into the soil and have a long tap root, able to reach underground rivers. Until they find a large water source, the plants' | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Stems/ | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Leaves == | ||
* metaphor: shelter, roof, pillar, column | * metaphor: shelter, roof, pillar, column | ||
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=== Layer: Dwarf Trees === | === Layer: Dwarf Trees === | ||
- | The multi-jointed balusters of these plants endlessly reach towards their kin, forming curved (sometimes gnarly, sometimes smooth) portals into and out of the world. On top of these portals, they sprout a meshwork of thin appendages that can also be joined with other plants, forming more or less dense tunnels, caves and niches - habitat for the darkness-loving flora. Through the various relationships with their brethren, these plants guide the shape of the landscape. By creating spaces of darkness, twilight and light, they attract and repel different species of lower growth. | + | The multi-jointed balusters of these plants endlessly reach towards their kin, forming curved (sometimes gnarly, sometimes smooth) portals into and out of the world. On top of these portals, they sprout a meshwork of thin appendages that can also be joined with other plants, forming more or less dense tunnels, caves and niches - habitat for the darkness-loving flora. Through the various relationships with their brethren, these plants guide the shape of the landscape. By creating spaces of darkness, twilight and light, they attract and repel different species of lower growth. |
+ | |||
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | Underground their roots mirror their branches and hold the topsoil in place. They are quite extensive and sparse - the plants prefer thick roots over a mesh of rootlets. What they loose in density, they make up in length (first they spread horizontally to anchor the tree and secure it against wind gusts, then as stability is ensured, the roots start growing downwards, slowly and diagonally). The colour is that of rust - brown, red, blue, grey. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | The dwarf trees reproduce sexually, ejaculating clouds of pollen across to each other. As the direction of the pollen isn't always well directed, they try to grow their branches as close to the plants they want to mate with. However, mistakes do happen and there are new hybrids are not uncommon. The male and female pollen have different, but compatible shapes. The female pollen resembles a balloon with a hairy tongue sticking far out of it. The Male pollen is smaller, a gooey blob resembling a ball of ice-cream. When they reach each other in the air, the blob falls onto the tongue and begins melting. The tongue retracts and starts dissolving as well. As the balloon begins filling up with liquid, it starts blistering and swelling, temporarily becoming lighter and travelling further on the wind. However, as the seed and the fruit around it start growing, the balloon becomes heavier and begins drifting towards the ground. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Seeds == | ||
+ | The seed of a dwarf tree is surrounded by a brightly coloured fruit-flesh (grown within the pollen-balloon) that decomposes in the ground and provides the growing seed with initial nutrients. The seed itself has a dark, smooth and hard outer shell and a complex mechanism of a chemical factory inside - botanical pumps, vials and transport conduits, allowing the seed to begin producing roots & shoots quickly (but also making sure that the factory remains sustainable for a long time). | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Stems/ | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Leaves == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Flowers == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Fruit == | ||
* metaphor: doors, windows, passages | * metaphor: doors, windows, passages | ||
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- | These plants change their density and hardness depending on the presence and absence of external threats. In calm periods, they form thin, glass-like translucent screens, framed by their narrow, angular branches. In more turbulent times, or in parts of the world that need intimate and secluded spaces, the plants swell into fortified walls of woven thorns. The branches turn into spiky lengths of barbed wire, making the passage in/out of the world a very painful affair... | + | These plants change their density and hardness depending on the presence and absence of external threats. In calm periods, they form thin, glass-like translucent screens, framed by their narrow, angular branches. In more turbulent times, or in parts of the world that need intimate and secluded spaces, the plants swell into fortified walls of woven thorns. The branches turn into spiky lengths of barbed wire, making the passage in/out of the world a very painful affair… |
- | Some of these plants flower and fruit, | + | |
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | Underground, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | Some of these plants flower and fruit. In peaceful periods, they will allow non-plant species to pollinate them. Their pollen is a superglue-like substance that will coat anything that touches the flower. The only way to get rid of the glue is to find the flower of the same species on a different shrub and rub against it. The chemicals in the flower will dissolve the glue, freeing the carrier and at the same time absorbing the reproductive jucies. The flower rapidly dries up and produces | ||
+ | In turbulent periods, the plants' | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Seeds == | ||
+ | The seeds are small, but in each berry there are many of them. They are also quite porous, like small sponges, able to absorb nutrients as they pass through | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Stems == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Leaves == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Flowers == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Fruit == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Growth == | ||
* metaphor: barrier, wall, fence | * metaphor: barrier, wall, fence | ||
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=== Layer: Herbaceous === | === Layer: Herbaceous === | ||
+ | A wide variety of plants in this layer makes them difficult to classify. They come in all colours, shapes and sizes, but all of them have two things in common: their bodies are soft, as they possess no bones and they are short lived, ephemeral. This ephemeral nature makes them prolific and promiscuous, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Underground, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | |||
+ | They flower, mate and fruit, with anyone interested. In this layer, hybrids are most common (producing extraordinary shapes and varieties) and evolution is fast (through a rapid sequence of generations). In order to reproduce, herbaceous plants need pollinators - non-plant species - to carry their pollen to other plants. Once pollinated, they will produce a multitude of seeds. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Seeds == | ||
+ | |||
+ | The seeds of these plants have intricate flying mechanisms. They are tiny and light and able to be swept off the parent by the wind. In order to find the most appropriate ground, they are able to navigate the windflows using minute wings and propellers of fantastic shapes. Some of them look like wind balloons, others like art-nouveau helicopters and bizarre flying machines. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Stems == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Leaves == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Flowers == | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Growth == | ||
- | A wide variety of plants in this layer makes them difficult to classify. They come in all colours, shapes and sizes, but all of them have two things in common: their bodies are soft, as they possess no bones and they are short lived, ephemeral. This ephemeral nature makes them prolific and promiscuous, | ||
* metaphor: furnishings, | * metaphor: furnishings, | ||
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=== Layer: Rhizosphere === | === Layer: Rhizosphere === | ||
+ | Plants in this layer don't care much for the world above-ground, | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | These plants have convoluted and extended rhizomatic communication conduits, spanning the whole world. Their roots / rhizomes are a an entangled network of different shapes, reflecting the nearby environment. When there are nutrients present, the roots swell to become locally bulbous, like thick stalactites. When there is water, the section closest to it inflates like a transparent sack. When there is nothing much around, they thin out and protrude multiple rootlets that spread in all directions in search of other plants, nutrients, water, sedimented objects, or anything else of interest. The colour of the rhizomes is most often light orange-brown, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | They don't flower, but reproduce through cloning (asexual) and grafting (sexual) underground. Sexual reproduction happens when two rhizosphere roots (of different species) touch and fuse. From the fusion point an new rhizome will appear. This rhizome will have characteristics of both parents. Asexual reproduction happens when the plant aboveground is wilting and a new seedling needs to be produced, or when a part of the rhizome (tuber) is broken off from the parent(s), to start a new plant elsewhere in the garden (this requires help from non-plant species, on request of a plant guild). | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Tuber == | ||
+ | The tuber is not a seed, but acts in the same way as a seed - it is able to produce new roots and seedlings, when separated from the parent. It looks like a thick-set stalagmite, with several asymmetrical rings of oriental looking patterns around its irregular ginger-like shape. As it is usually broken off the parent, one of its ends is a rough cross-section. As soon as a tuber is put into the ground, it produces new rhizomes and a sprout. The colour of the tuber is the same as the roots (light orange-brown, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leaves | ||
+ | |||
+ | Growth | ||
- | Plants in this layer don't care much for the world above-ground, | ||
* metaphor: foundation, basement, bedrock | * metaphor: foundation, basement, bedrock | ||
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=== Layer: Soil Surface === | === Layer: Soil Surface === | ||
+ | The plants in this layer are the twilight-dwellers between life and death. Their lives are extremely short and they spend long periods in suspension / hibernation. They indulge in decay (both of self and of others). They live in large, rather conservative clans, who stick to themselves and their traditions. They are hard-working, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots & Rhizomes == | ||
+ | Their roots don't reach very deep. They are modest and satisfied with occupying a few centimetres of the surface above and below, forming a translucent shroud, a wooly veil of the land. Their roots are very thin, but dense and clumpy, able to find nutrients that other plants' | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | They reproduce without sexual fusion, through spores which they exhale at the moment of death. The plant bursts open and a cloud of spores bursts forth from the dying flesh of the parent. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Spores == | ||
+ | The spores of these plants are tiny, hairy balls, that are so light they can be carried by the wind far from their parent plant. On close inspection, they look like plankton - tiny anemones, jellyfish or amoebae. They are nearly translucent, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Above ground | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Growth | ||
- | The plants in this layer are the twilight-dwellers between life and death. Their lives are extremely short and they spend long periods in suspension / hibernation. They indulge in decay (both of self and of others). They live in large, rather conservative clans, who stick to themselves and their traditions. They are hard-working, | ||
- | Their roots don't reach deep. They are modest and satisfied with occupying a few centimetres of the surface, forming a translucent shroud, a wooly veil of the land. They reproduce incestuously, | ||
* metaphor: carpet, floor covering, veil | * metaphor: carpet, floor covering, veil | ||
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=== Layer: Vertical === | === Layer: Vertical === | ||
+ | |||
+ | These plants are the only ones in the world in which an individual plant can indulge in spatial travel. They criss-cross the other layers, connecting, entangling and confusing their dwellers. They can be fickle and treacherous at times. Their tangles are communication conduits between the different layers above ground. However, the information that passes through the twining vines rarely arrives unchanged - translation is never perfect, always enigmatic and slightly glitchy. Some plants in this layer are aggressive bullies, that can even turn murderous. Others can enjoy a cushy, parasitic life, usually sucking-up to the larger plants. Others again turn into explorers, venturing across ground and layers, to the furthest reaches of the world. As their shape reflects their journeys for the rest of their lives, they take utmost care to the twining and tangling of their paths, creating magnificent, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Roots == | ||
+ | The roots of these plants travel horizontally, | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Reproduction == | ||
+ | The vertical plants are able to flower. Their mating rituals are slow, elegant and entangled, that occur when two flowering vines (of appropriate species and sex) touch and entangle each other' | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Seeds == | ||
+ | The seeds of the vertical plants resemble a ball of knotted wool or wire (sometimes spiky barbed wire). They are formed from the tightly packed, twisted and knotted flower-petals. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Vines | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Leaves | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Flowers | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Berries | ||
- | These plants are the only ones in the world in which an individual plant can indulge in spatial travel. They criss-cross the other layers, connecting, entangling and confusing their dwellers. They can be fickle and treacherous at times. Their tangles are communication conduits between the different layers above ground. However, the information that passes through the twining vines rarely arrives unchanged - translation is never perfect, always enigmatic and slightly glitchy. Some plants in this layer are aggressive bullies, that can even turn murderous. Others can enjoy a cushy, parasitic life, usually sucking-up to the larger plants. Others again turn into explorers, venturing across ground and layers, to the furthest reaches of the world. As their shape reflects their journeys for the rest of their lives, they take utmost care to the twining and tangling of their paths, creating magnificent, | + | Growth |
- | They are able to flower and produce long, thin seed-pods in elegant, entangled mating rituals, which occur when two vines (of appropriate species and sex) touch and entangle each other. | + | |
* metaphor: connection, communication, | * metaphor: connection, communication, |