Homosaraetes

Homosaraetes has developed into a fully terrestrial organism. It reaches a maximum size of 4 meters tall and has developed lignin to provide itself structural support. It has also developed vascular tissue in its stem to facilitate the transfer of water and nutrients from its roots to the fronds. At its base a system of fronds helps to shade out other organisms and prevent overcrowding. The stem's crown has three sets of fronds extending outward to a maximum length of 50 centimeters. The sporophyte and gametophyte stages have undergone changes. The sporophyte stage is now much smaller than the gametophyte stage. Sporophytes max out at only a meter tall and will grow among the base fronds of the gametophytes. The sporophytes themselves are more shade tolerant than the gametophytes and thus are able to grow in the shade provided by the gametophytes.

Reproduction has remained spore based with both water and airborne spores. A young gametophyte will germinate and grow to full size in three years. The first spring of its mature life will see it producing gametes on its lower fronds. Male gametes will, following first rain, drift off of the fronds to meet the fronds of a Female gametophyte. On her fronds the gametes will merge to form a zygote which will drop from the fronds to the soil to germinate as a sporophyte. This sporophyte will reach full size in one year and on its first mature spring will produce spores which will drift in the wind following a rain event to germinate on bare soil as a new gametophyte. The gametophyte stage will continue breeding for 15 years on average and live to an age of 25 years if they are lucky. The sporophyte stage lives only 10 years and is usually replaced by younger sporophytes by the age of 5 years.