Bladebush

Descended from the "seeds" of purpleblades native to Barlowe Temperate Woodland which were carried northwards by strong winds, the bladebushes are the end result of several millennia worth of adaptations to a harsher, colder climate. Compared to their ancestors, the leaves of this species are somewhat thicker in diameter and are coated in newly evolved waxy substance that also encases the rest of their bodies. These adaptations allow them to more easily shed snow without having leaves snap beneath the weight, with the added advantage being that the wax also helps to reduce water loss even more so compared to the capabilities of their ancestors. A rotund trunk has begun to take shape in this species, which not only stores valuable nutrients during the majority of the year when the land is blanketed in snow, but also helps them to resist the wind and thus avoid being toppled.

For most of the year, the bladebushes lack the inflorescence of their ancestors. Such a structure would prove brittle and easily lost in the cold, wintery climate of their habitats. However, when the warmer months arrive and the ground thaws, the breeding season begins for the bladebushes, and the land seemingly transforms overnight. Every member capable of reproducing will being to sprout their inflorescences and release clouds of spores into the air, turning it a slightly reddish hue with their sheer numbers. Once the gametes unite and fertilization occurs, new "seeds" will eventually sprout and then be released while the inflorescence withers and detaches. Should conditions be right, they will find a fertile patch of ground and sprout, after which they will need to take root quickly and put on weight if they are to survive the inevitable arrival of the frost and snow.

This species has flourished relatively well, thanks in part to a lack of competition, and has since spread into the depths of the majestic Barlowe mountains.