Barlowe Foliostrum

Barlowe foliostrum split from its ancestor and spread into Barlowe Tropical Savanna. It invests more heavily in phenolic compounds for herbivore defense, giving it an advantage over other understory flora. It is a mid-succession species in the rainforest, outlasting other flora when young by being toxic to herbivores and often dominating forest gaps for a few years before taller canopy species outgrow it and reduce its density. In the savanna, it faces less competition and may become dense enough in shaded hillsides and valleys to eliminate other flora that are otherwise adapted to full sunlight. As a result, only a patchy undergrowth persists.

It is taller than its ancestor and reproduction has moved to older leaf appendages which partially wither away before exhibiting secondary outer growth, developing gametophytes and eventually seeds. These seeds (~3 cm in diameter) are flatter with hydrophobic coatings that allow longer dispersal distances over water and, to a lesser extent, wind.