Crystal Pagoda

The crystal pagoda developed as crystal gazebos specialized for the temperate shores of Dixon and Fermi. They still grow from a central hub that produces roots and a central trunk, which eventually push the hub upward and arc above the ground. However, the trunk now grows a series of disk-like platforms in layers, and the roots grow out of those. So the crystal pagoda grows in several tiers, each with roots spreading out to support the overall tree. Each new tier emerges from the ground wider than the last.

"Leaves" shaped like crystals grow on each platform. In this temperate region, the sun may be low enough in the sky that, depending on time of year, parts of the lower platforms will still receive illumination, though the areas closest to the trunk may be too shadowed and become bare.

They still reproduce through water-borne spores. These spores are multicellular, containing both cells that produce the main trunk body and others that will develop into the crystal leaves, lying latent in special nodes until ready to emerge. Their spores are now able to tolerate freshwater as well as saltwater. As a result, crystal pagodas have spread into the Seal marsh and up the banks of the Seal River.

As they live in areas that are mostly tidal or prone to flooding, they are also well-adapted to being submerged, with roots able to absorb detritus directly from the water.