Kal
Whispers
- Intent: Flesh out Lorinia with an unusual family of trees; flavourful source of luxury wood.
- Image Credit: Week 45 Trees by Hue Teo, Lantern Trees by Ksandra CreepyCrafts
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Fijisi | Wroshyr | etc.
- Name: Lumiwood Trees
- Origins: Lorinia; native to most biomes.
- Other Locations: Various parks and gardens.
- Classification: Tree (Family) - See Classification.
- Average Growth Cycle: Lumiwood tends to grow somewhat slower than your average tree.
- Viability: Most species of Lumiwood require especially fertile soil to thrive, with those adapted to more barren climates growing even slower than usual. In contrast to more hardy trees, they tend to be especially sensitive to long-term changes in temperature/humidity.
- Description: Most species of Lumiwood have a distinctly 'rooty' and often uneven look. All known species are bioluminescent at least some of the time; while this is frequent or even constant for most, some only glow during specific seasons or under ideal seeding conditions.
- Average Height: ~5-20 metres
- Species dependent.
- Average Length: N/A
- Colour: Variable, see art.
- Nutritional Value: Negligible for most humanoids.
- Toxicity: Most species are nontoxic, but ingestion of large quantities of luminous resin may have side effects.
- Other Effects: Virtually all species of Lumiwood produce distinctive "luminous resin"; some variants absorb light during the day in order to release it at night while others use more conventional forms of bioluminescence. For some species, this resin forms distinctive orbs which are often collected and sold at a premium. If specially treated such resin can retain its properties for years. In some cases this resin can even have medicinal uses, though rarely to the point of being all that useful outside survival situations; modern medicine tends to win out.
- Distinctions: Gnarly yet beautiful, these majestic trees are only capable of growing wild on Lorinia, due to a close relationship with a variety of local avian and insectoid species. Synthetic alternatives can allow them to thrive in gardens, however. A slow-growing, non-invasive form of flora, they seem to encourage biodiversity around them - this combination of a long growth cycle and significant reliance on other species leaves them vulnerable to climate change and environmental contamination. Fortunately, they are iconic enough to be carefully preserved.
- Luminescent: Lumiwood is famous for the luminous resin it produces; while valuable to sentients, its true purpose is to attract insects.
- Fine Wood: Lumiwood is a fine addition to gardens and known to produce especially high-quality wood suitable for luxury products.
- Slow Growth: Lumiwood grows slower than more common families of trees, limiting its ability to spread quickly.
- Well-Adapted: Lumiwood tends to be well-adapted to specific environments; it is sensitive to any changes therein.
Lumiwood was among the first notable forms of native life catalogued when the planet of Lorinia was (re)discovered. An iconic symbol of the resort world, it has come to be associated with wealth and comfort and is often used for luxurious but otherwise mundane furniture.
While smooth, beautiful, nearly splinter-free, and relatively hardy, it is no wroshyr wood.
The discovery of ancient ruins of unknown providence on its homeworld has led some to believe that the family of trees may have been the subject of bioengineering at some point in the distant past, but no conclusive evidence for or against such presumptions has ever been found. Whatever its origins, Lumiwood has become an important part of the planetary biosphere - and an enduring symbol cherished by the locals.
