Wormfern

Similar to its ancestor, the Wormfern begins its life as a mobile male. These travel between the sessile females/adults, picking up (and fertilising) eggs, before transporting them to new locations to hatch. This is aided by pheromones produced by the female, allowing the male to find a mate even over distances of several kilometres. In addition to photosynthesis, the male can also survive on decaying matter and softer organisms (such as the Asterplent and Ghost Mycostrum).

After a few years as a male, the Wormfern will find a convenient place to plant itself, living the rest of its life as a sessile female. In this form, it retains a reasonable amount of control over its body, allowing it to angle its leaves towards the sun at all times of the day. In addition, the leaves are much larger than in its ancestor, and have developed small hooks on their edges to allow them to stick together, forming a single, unbroken photosynthetic surface area. The thorns that hook the Wormfern to the ground are much longer than in its ancestor, which helps them remain upright even in very windy areas. These roots are also more permeable than the rest of the Wormfern’s skin, allowing it to absorb nutrients from the soil.