Missixon Tasselweed

Missixon Tasselweed has taken advantage of the low competition in its region and become giant, growing to 8 meters tall in the waters around Dixon and Fermi. Their bodies are much like their ancestors, possessing multiple floats each with their own frond, a stable holdfast to connect them to the substrate, and sporangia located on specialized fronds near their base. The stipe itself has grown in length and become stronger and more flexible so as to bend in high currents and waves rather than breaking. The number of fronds has also increased to increase solar gain. The Missixon Tasselweed live in temperate and subtropical seas and thus a population of them must deal with overwintering. Unlike its ancestor whose holdfast and part of its stipe are all that remains over winter, the Missixon Tasselweed retains all but its fronds throughout the winter in temperate climates. Winter seas look much like Terran forests mid winter, with the long stipes of the Missixon Tasselweed akin to the bare trunks and branches of Terran deciduous trees. A Missixon Tasselweed will live 15-20 years and each spring will regrow its fronds to make use of the growing sunlight. Its reproduction is much the same as its ancestor, utilizing a macroscopic sporophyte stage and a microscopic gametophyte stage. They form large forests in rocky coasts with abundant nutrient up-wellings, supporting communities of fauna throughout the year.