Rupine

The rupine split from its ancestor when a population of rupee trees migrated into more temperate environments. Poorly adapted to the cold winters, the rupee tree had to adapt to its new environment.

The rupine possesses a wide array of defenses against the cold winters that frequent its new home. Its foliage is now darker, allowing it to trap more heat and light. The foliar crystals themselves have become longer and thinner, and protrude from the branches at an acute angle, resulting in them being arranged like roof shingles. The crystals also store large amounts of sugary resin, making them less prone to freezing over the winter. The structure of the rupine's shoot has also changed dramatically, with the trunk producing a new set of eight branches every two years. These branches will produce more branches in an opposite pattern. This will repeat until a thick mesh of downwards-facing branches form. From these branches protrude the shingle-like crystals, which result in the rupine taking on a conical shape. This conical shape causes snow to easily slide off the tree, allowing it to photosynthesize with greater ease over the winter months. Because the roots rarely come across detritus, the rupine is no longer a detritivore.

The crystal capsules of the rupine now grow off of the apical meristem, which will alternate between producing stem tissue and capsule tissue each year. This adaptation allows the rupine to better disperse its pollen and seeds over the forest canopy. The capsule has become thinner, making it less prone to being knocked off the top of the tree. The male capsule is similar to that of its ancestor. The female capsule, however, is much more different. Instead of producing multiple strobili, it will only produce one very large strobilus that will typically burst out of the capsule. The strobilus itself is 1.5 times taller than the capsule, and contains both core and shell tissue, with the shell tissue forming struts that lie just below the core-based skin of the strobilus. These struts help keep it upright and allow it to resist being blown over by the wind. This taller strobilus ensures that it can stand above the tops of the canopy, allowing it to come into contact with the male capsules' pollen. After the male and female capsules have served their purpose, they will fall off the tree, leaving behind a capsule scar that lies just above the branches.