Mellowwort

The mellowwort has developed to be suited for both land and water. It has developed an extensive shallow depth rhizome for anchorage and nutrient gathering, a central bulb that it stores sugars and grows from, and 6 long wavy fronds. Scattered about the river and moor bottom, Mellowworts can be found in clusters among its ancestor the Violetmellow. Mellowwort's fanning shape shades out its ancestor and solidifies its place in the aquatic meadow, but it is rare to take up a large patch, as close proximity at the bulb would lead to a very crowded canopy and diminished light for all, mellowworts included. It has been most successful on the riparian zones of the river and throughout the moor, where there is little competition for a low spreading plant.

It lacks a vascular system and thus relies on water to be present in a thin film around it for continued photosynthesis, while nutrients are transferred from cell to cell It can survive dry periods utilizing a thin powder that forms as the water film disappears, just as its ancestor utilized for low tidal conditions. It stores sugars in its rhizome and bulb for its continued survival during dry periods. Reproduction is facilitated through metagenesis. The mellowwort itself is the sporophyte stage, which produces zoospores that swim to open soil/substrate. They will develop into gametophytes on average 1 cm in size, which then produce gametes which when fused will grow a new sporophyte stage. The gametophytes have small fronds but an extensive rhizome network. This network allows it to hook up to the rhizomes of sporophyte mellowworts and feed off of their sugars so it may focus on gamete production. This reliance on water restricts it to water sources and high rain environments to facilitate reproduction.