Triplet Purplestem

Triplet purplestem split from its ancestor as populations at the margins of the temperate forests of Darwin adapted to the chaparral and plains. They are smaller, tougher, and grow more slowly. Their triplicate meristems aid in reproduction and allow leaf appendages to face the sun at lower angles to prevent overheating. Small, shallow nodules near the bases of roots provide suitable environments for globanitros. This reduces nitrogen limitation, making water limitation more manageable.

Specialized reproductive appendages do not photosynthesize but instead grow thin and hairlike, tumbling away to occasionally collect at the base of another triplet purplestem. When contact with still-growing appendages occurs, they can be "fertilized" as genetic material is exchanged. This triggers a longer and more tangled hair to grow and tumble away for up to several months before dying if a suitable growing location is not found.