Poolreed
It took me some time to be able to sleep properly at my host's dwelling, with all the noises of the swamps around me. Most unsettling was the warble of the poolreed - at the smallest gust of wind, it would send a shiver up my spine as it made its unearthly call.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Poolreed typically grows as a bush-like outcrop just underneath the surface of the waters in the swamp. Its individual reeds grow up to 3 metres in length, and are typically between one and two centimetres thick. The roots of the plant are much longer than the reeds, extending up to 12 metres below the surface.
Genetics and Reproduction
Poolreed has a period of the year where it goes to seed, its individual reeds breaking apart into composite fibres and releasing a cotton-like dust into the air. This is blown, or more often sluiced by the water the poolreed grows in, to a new location, where it reaches a location under the water to grow a new plant. Poolreed is hermaphroditic, but is pollinated by the insects of the swamps, primarily the sweetfly.
Ecology and Habitats
Poolreed's optimal habitat is a place of fertile soil no more than one metre below the surface of water. Any deeper and it cannot be pollinated, while any shallower and it lacks the necessary root protection from predators, and can also struggle to gain adequate hydration and nutrition.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Poolreed absorbs most of its nutrients from the rich swamp water that surrounds its roots. This not only hydrates it effectively but also typically contains many dead animal and plant fragments that act as a natural fertiliser for the soil that the plant occupies.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Poolreed is a key component in the production of riid by the Kajan, providing the all-important strings for the instrument. Its naturally resonant property that acts as a defence against predation is exploited to give the instrument its unique tone.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Like most plants, poolreed is able to detect the direction of sunlight and grow towards it to maximise its photosynthesising potential, and can perform similar actions with water density, growing towards areas that are partially flooded. Somewhat unusually, poolreed can also detect when an animal approaches it due to the vibrations that this animal produces. As a defensive response, it changes cell turgor to cause its reeds to vibrate, producing an unearthly warble. This is often enough to scare off animals due to the unpredictable nature of the sound meaning that they can't build up a memory of it being non-threatening; however, animals who live near poolreed constantly are often more accustomed to it.
Related Ethnicities
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