Thanos' Shrub

Split off from the Terra Grove, Thanos' Shrub took a path towards smaller flora niches, as any niches for flora its size were unfilled at the time. It is very similar to its ancestor apart from size, except that it has developed two distinct types of root: roots which remain connected to the ground, and “branch” roots which are “pulled” from the ground like the roots of its ancestor but much sooner after first forming, greatly reducing the energy loss from producing them. Its branch-roots emerge from the ground before the root-roots are exposed, preventing them from conflicting with one another; this comes at a cost of them not being able to regenerate branches later in life, but with little feeding on its branches anyway, it was a small price to pay. This also makes its mycelium much more stable, as it can grow much further and for much longer. It is otherwise identical to its ancestor; it is a mixotroph which feeds on detritus and dead organisms buried in the ground, its non-crystal trunk and branches are made of a “petrified” bone-like material, and it reproduces sexually with airborne pollen-like spores.