Giant Petalcap

It is commonly believed that Petalcap Vale derives its name from the flower-like 'petals' formed by Caudal lichens atop the heads of verdials and those affected by verdialization. This assumption is partially false, however; while many verdials answer to the name of 'petalcaps,' the namesake of these individuals and the nation they hail from is actually the mighty giant petalcap fungus. Petalcaps are edible mushrooms that grow to colossal size, providing food and construction materials in equal measure to the residents of the municipality.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Giant petalcaps vary in color based on the soil in which they grow, the biological culture of the surrounding mycorrhizal newtork, and weather conditions. Rare individuals may exibit light pink, green, or even blue tints. The fungus may grow up to 200ft tall have trunks up to 40ft in diameter, rivaling many trees in their local environment. Giant petalcaps produce a single large cluster of fruiting bodies at the top as well as several smaller branches or shelves along the central trunk. These fruiting bodies often resemble huge, round leaves from a distance, hence the name of the species.
Though 'terrestrial' in amino acid makeup, the living flesh of a giant petalcap produces bioluminescent and limited bioelectric signals as a protective adaptation against the light-sensitive Distal species they shared Caudal D with before The Curved Time. This light, along with nutrient transfer along the mychorrizal catacombs, helps to offset the light and direct precipitation lost by symbiotic plants and lichens living in the shadows of the fungus' fruiting bodies.

Genetics and Reproduction

Giant petalcaps reproduce by releasing fluffy airborne spores, the largest of which may reach up to an inch in diameter. These spores are sometimes known to interact with dustwisps and are a known contributor to the sky color within Caudal D where they are most prevalent.

Ecology and Habitats

Giant petalcaps live in symbiosis with a wide variety of plants, fungusses, and lichens that share intersecting root systems with the mycorrhizal catacombs. Animals which would normally burrow into wood or nest in preexisting knotholes are known to exhibit the same behavior around giant petalcaps, and the occasional cast-off gill or clump of spores is a treat for detritivores - though herbivores often steer clear due to associations with more poisonous fungal species.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Giant petalcaps are strong enough for use as construction materials, but are also edible if properly processed. Cellulomold is a durable bioplastic composite created when flesh of giant petalcaps, among other similar species, is suffused with resin and tightly compressed together. Verdial Miniaturized Mushroom Rations ("M-Rations") are savory and well-loved soup rations based on giant petalcap flesh.
Aside from pratical considerations, giant petalcaps are also an important symbolic species and are often used in iconography depicting nature or exoticism as dictated by one's ideological stance. The Petalcap Vale flag, Petalcap Vale Customs Authority patch, and other organizations within that state often employ the giant petalcap as a symbol for obvious reasons. The Way of the Biocosm incorporates rounded shapes in its iconography meant to at once suggest human organs, giant petalcaps, and the canopies of deciduous trees.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Giant petalcaps are found throughout the Vale, especially around the commissures where water tends to accumulate and around the vertex mountains where the mycorrhizae are kept moist by geothermal springs. Copses of the giant fungus have spread through the commissures and into every adjacent cube to varying extents, though these copses tend to be smaller and less prolific due to adverse climate conditions. Regions dense with giant petalcaps are noticeably warmer than their environs due to a combination of insulation, wind breaks formed by the fungi, and the natural heat produced by fungal metabolism; it can be said that Caudal D is only as habitable for the verdials as it is because of the giant petalcaps.

Geographic Distribution

• Petalcap Vale (municipality)

Related Ethnicities

• Classical Verdial
• Vale Verdial