Blackleaf oak tree
The blackleaf oak tree or shrub is considered one of the common tree varieties in the southeastern regions of the Balelands Continent. It is one of the main sources where the Black Forest in the Strathwine Barony gets its name. Blackleaf oaks are one of the native tree species in the Balelands.
Blackleaf oaks are a flowering plant and one of only two species of oak that still exist on Fiven. Though cultivated in the Balelands regions, it grows wild in some temperate regions of the southern continent of Gibrari. While this makes it an invasive species in the few temperate zones in Gibrari, it has had little success in supplanting native plants of the region.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Blackleaf oaks are one of the few flora on Fiven that grow to extreme age and size. The species grows to a massive height of approximately 40 feet (12.2 m) in many forests. Scholars have recorded the thickest of these at 37 feet (11.3m) in circumference. As for their lifespan, it's not unusual for a blackleaf oak to survive to 900 or even 1200 years. To date, the oldest known blackleaf oak was 1500 years old.
In some regions, such as Brenzabia, the trees are cultivated to support entire settlements built in the wide branches. This is done to maximize the use of soil for farming or for the defense of the settlement against local predators or other hostiles.
The blackleaf oak, unlike its sibling species the sunlit oak, is an evergreen tree since it doesn't lose its foliage during the winter months of the year. Instead, the tree's foliage becomes translucent in winter, allowing it to still gather sunlight yet conserve its energy until the warmer months.
In the summer months, the leaves resemble thin pieces of dark, smoky obsidian. They grow in a spiral arrangement with undulate edges on the leaf structure. As one of the 'tenebris' species, the leaves of this tree are black with reflective specks in the leaf structure, giving it an obsidian appearance.
The secret behind this coloration lies within the sap. Blackleaf oaks naturally produce a mineral, sitarium, as a by-product from their bark when the damp outer bark dries in sunlight. This powdery mineral, carried through the sap, collects in the leaves. As the leaves grow, they accumulate sitarium, forming dark flakes that cause the black coloration. These flakes also act as natural solar collectors for the plant, providing an extra boost in sunlight collection.
At the higher elevations where snow is more likely, the sitarium sap acts as a natural means for the tree to keep warm. This warmth isn't that noticeable by touch but the temperature is warm enough to prevent snow from collecting on the leaf and branch structure.
During the spring months, blackleaf oaks produce an abundance of white-yellow flowers. One of the rare aspects of this plant is that it produces blossoms that are both distinctly male and female. This increases the ability of a tree to propagate its species, provided that the environment is favorable.
Fertilization is accomplished through external means such as wind, insects, or animals that eat the nectar from the flowers. Once fertilized, a blossom closes so that the external layer of the flower can form the protective husk of the oak's fruit called an 'acorn pod'.
Ecology and Origins
The Blackleaf oak species originates in the region occupied by present-day Federation of Zika in the north to northeast section of the Balelands continent. There, where glacial waterfalls cascade off floating islands, blackleaf oaks developed near the pools formed by those waterfalls. Those pools are surrounded by a thin waterfall-generated fog that filters the sunlight.
That environment was the trigger that caused the mutation that allows blackleaf oaks to generate and use sitarium as a solar collection and storage mechanism. This chemical addition acts like a rechargeable battery from which the tree slowly taps into the reserve energy there in winter months or cloudy environments. Research records from the Torin Republic show this evolution happened rapidly, within five to ten generations from the initial mutation in the species 12,000 years ago.
The roots of this species are remarkable. Sitarium mineral sap has many properties, including helping the tree to withstand strong storms that would otherwise uproot the plant. The depth of the root system and elaborate size of the roots protects the tree this way. A blackleaf oak's roots bury deeper than most other trees. This adds to the stability of the plant regarding elevated settlements building atop the oaks.
However, when a blackleaf oak dies because of age, weather, lightning strike, and so on, the root system collapses, leaving a network of tunnels. The largest recorded tunnels have been 3.2 feet (0.97 m) high and 3.8 feet (1.15 m) wide with the tunnel length extending down for 15 feet (4.5 m) or more. Such tunnels become home to a variety of underground animals. Sometimes, enterprising smugglers will excavate these elaborate natural tunnels to use as smuggling storage.
Disease
The blackleaf oak suffers from many kinds of plant-based blight like most other flora. However, the ailment, necrotic wilt is unique to the blackleaf species.
Necrotic wilt is a condition believed to be spread by the lych moth. Signs of infection include a gray dust mold growing on the leaves, followed by the bark turning a gray-pale color. If not treated, the disease will run its course in a few weeks. At which time the oak takes on an 'undead' existence.
However, the tree isn't one of the living dead. Instead, the afflicted tree died, but the necrotic wilt mold that now grows in the dead tree preserves some of its basic functions for the mold's survival. Chiefly, the need to circulate and gather fluids.
As a result, living creatures - flora or fauna - that are in contact with the tree for an extended period will suffer the effect of being dehydrated by the oak. Since the oak is dead and therefore never becomes satiated, victims in constant contact with the tree will die within days.
I've heard that down in The Burn, in the badlands east of Musterbach, The Slave Chain cultivates groves of blackleaf oaks that died of necrotic wilt. It's where they put the leaders of a slave rebellion when they catch'em ... or really any prisoners they want to forget about. Tie 'em to one of those necrotic oaks and walk away. Nature does the rest!
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Blackleafs are domesticated in many areas of the Balelands. In the northern regions, blackleaf oaks are used in architecture as a ‘living foundation’ for their ‘elevated settlements’. On the eastern side of the Balelands, the acorn pods and the honey are more important. For the southern countries of the Balelands along the coast, the sap is of prime industrial importance.
Acorns Pods
As stated above, the fruit produced by the tree called an 'acorn pod'. Acorn pods are technically a drupe or a fleshy fruit with a single stone or pit encased by a husk. This outer casing has a leathery texture and starts with a yellow coloration that darkens to a dark olive as the fruit ripens.
Due to the mineral content in the sap, the acorn itself is toxic because of the high concentration of ferric salts and pumice acid that the young plant uses to develop. Even soaking or washing the acorns doesn't remove enough of the toxins to make the acorn edible.
However, the husk is one of several substances used in preserving food. When heated, the husk releases a compound that acts as a natural desiccant. So blackleaf husks are often tossed into a steel smoker or stone oven during smoking meat or vegetables. Not only will the meat or vegetables be cooked, but it also preserves them for long-term storage. As an added side-effect, blackleaf oak husks give preserved food a cinnamon-smoke scent and flavor.
Sitarium Mineral Sap
The sitarium mineral sap of a blackleaf oak is a smoke-gray syrup that is an ingredient in many waterproofing recipes for water and air vehicles. It isn't uncommon to find a grove of blackleaf oaks being tapped in the first onset of spring when the sap flows more freely.
There is always a concern that the tapping process, inserting a spigot into the side of a blackleaf oak, harms the tree's growth. This is not the case. While tapping causes a wound, as it does with maple trees, blackleaf oaks recover from this quickly when the taps are removed in mid-spring.
Blackleaf Honey
Blackleaf honey isn't a direct product of the oak but of bees that use the oak's flowers in their honey generation process. This honey is more common in the northern Balelands countries and reputed to have a smokey flavor.
Construction and Elevated Settlements
As stated above, the Blackleaf oak is ideal for elevated settlements in regions that have a need for that construction. In those regions, they build settlements in the branches of mature blackleaf oak trees. The architectural design used in those areas accommodates the growth of the tree so that over time the planks, stones, and panels of a building will slide and adjust as the tree ages. In addition, the trees are trimmed and shaped to grow in directions best suited to support the buildings. In countries such as Brenzabia, pruning and shaping a blackleaf oak is a high art form.
The branches of a blackleaf oak enjoy the same strength as the root system. However, to support buildings, especially those covered in snow in the winter, the Shapers of Brenzabia work with a tree to encourage the branches to grow in an overlapping pattern to increase their strength. Also, in winter, the warmth from the sitarium mineral sap aids in keeping snow from the plant itself. Application of warming panels on the settlement buildings help reduce the change of snow accumulation on the buildings themselves, which help prevent excess weight on the trees.
this was may favorite bit from the article: "the tree's foliage becomes translucent in winter, allowing it to still gather sunlight yet conserve its energy until the warmer months. " very cool!
Thanks! This one I really put some work into. I'm very happy with out it turned out!