Name: Spongefruit (Spongius Fruiticus) Description: A Spongefruit at its maximum size, photographed near the tail end of a Lahna Monsoon season. Nearby are various plants in the same family, though none are as prolific. The natives of Scalb never had a mass agricultural revolution, unlike Earth or many other galactic cultures. However, one of the few plants that they conduct selective breeding and cultivation on is the Spongefruit. This plant is among the most common on the planet, and can be found everywhere civilization has sprung up. Spongefruit come in a wide variety of sizes. They can be kept indoors, stored in kitchentop pots, or sit out in the jungle as massive trees. Various breeds exist within the genus, and farms have an endless amount of types for aesthetic and practical use. They’re thick-stemmed plants that end in bulbous, incredibly absorbent ellipsoids of plant matter, which will hereby be referred to as ‘Sponges’. Larger varieties develop ‘nets’ out of their bark to prevent waterlogged sponges from breaking off, but smaller ones tend to lack this, allowing one to pluck them without hassle. The wooden segments of the Spongefruit are extremely dry on the inside, as they store the majority of their water content in the sponges and siphon them throughout the plant when needed. The root systems of wild Spongefruits run deep and wide, meant to catch water from rainfall and tap into reserves of groundwater. In this way, they’re similar to cacti, but far greedier, for their habitats have no shortage of water. The roots automatically suck up water until the sponges reach their maximum capacity, which can dry out the soil during periods of drought or low rainfall. This tends to kill other plants as well, which reduces competition for light and for minerals in the soil. The support structure that keeps up the sponges naturally creates a large amount of surface area while reinforcing itself, taking the place of leaves for the sake of photosynthesis and transpiration. Behavior: Spongefruits grow towards sunlight, like any plant does. They tend to suck up water like a storage tank, preserving it in their sponges and temporarily taking it out of the environment. Tamability: It’s a plant that has been domesticated and cultivated for centuries, and lives in a sort of symbiotic relationship with the Chinauts of Scalb. Where is it found?: Native to Scalb— The Chinaut Homeworld. It can be found on every major landmass, and in recent years, has made its way to space due to being a beloved cultivar of the Chinauts. For example, it’s present in greenhouses and pots on the stellar colony Bien, in the Asenveon system. They tend to be found in groves and clearings when in the jungle, due to monopolizing much of the water content whenever they grow. Rarity: Common Diet/Method of gaining nutrients and energy: Spongefruits photosynthesise through chloroplasts on their trunks, rather than having leaves. They take in water through a root system, and rapidly integrate them into the sponge-like growths, while filtering out impurities. Products: The eponymous Spongefruits are a wonderful prize themselves, providing fresh water within their porous forms. When pressure is applied, the liquid is squeezed out, much like a sponge. Chinauts use this extremely popular plant to hold flavoured liquids and drinks, along with fresh water. Due to their mouth shape, drinking from cups or water bodies is difficult, so throughout much of the species’ history, they’ve obtained moisture from leaves and Spongefruit instead. There’s little nutrient content to the actual physical structure, apart from light fibre, and it’s tasteless by itself. When drained of water completely, the sponge’s structure gradually degrades, and it can end up turning into a crumbly powder. Before this state is reached, however, it’s a wonderful biodegradable sponge, and makes a good substitute for cleaning materials. They aren’t as long-lasting as loofahs or other sponges made of vegetal cellulose, otherwise they wouldn’t be so easily digestable. Reproduction: Spongefruit can reproduce both sexually and asexually. When they’ve retained large amounts of water for a long period of time, they register that conditions are right for reproduction. The plant then floods their sponges with tiny spores. When an animal plucks the sponge off and consumes it, spores spill from the compressed material and land on ground. If they’re able to gain sufficient light and water, they sprout into a new fruit. Those that reproduce sexually use a slightly different method. The spores are unable to fully sprout on their own. Instead, the roots siphon excessive amounts of liquid into the spore-filled sponges, until the weight causes them to drop off. Breeding tends to be seasonal, resulting in large groves of Spongefruit releasing their payloads at once. The sponges quickly leak out into a massive slurry, allowing them to exchange DNA and latch on to other half-spores. This results in a sapling that mixes traits from both parents. As one might imagine, such a process is relatively easy for an intelligent species to control. Size: The largest a Spongefruit tree can get is the size of a tree, with colossal spongy masses held up by lattices of lignin. These grow after torrential rains and monsoon floods, when they rapidly soak up the water and become massive in size. Weight: They tend to be heavier than a standard tree would be at their size, due to the waterlogged sponges adding weight. Varies depending on the number of sponges present. Lifespan: 200 years, with major variance. It’s a tree. Abilities: Superior water absorption and storage, as well as a prolific reproductive method. Flaws: Quite flammable, due to their trunks being very dry on the inside. In jungles, ambient humidity helps to stave off any possibility of fire. But in drier regions, such as Nich plains and dry Uonov forests, starting a fire near them will be easy. At least there’s a quick extinguisher nearby, in these cases! Other: Mmmm yummy sponge. Spoiler
