Tree

A tree is defined in the Frentel Ecosystem Guide as "Any plant which relies on its roots to get nourishment and can grow to an indefinite size, as long as sufficient nutrition is provided."

As long as a tree gets nutrients, it will continue to grow. As soon as the nourishment a tree can access via its roots are all being used to maintain its current size, it will stop growing; if its nutrition source is weakened, and a tree can no longer maintain all of its branches, then they will start to wither, and unless they return to the necessary amount, then branches will start to die and drop off, one by one.

Trees reproduce by sections of the trunk being cut off, and planted elsewhere. It should be noted that a tree will replenish its trunk to original size before attempting any a further growth, and if its nutrients aren't sufficient to regrow part of its trunk, it will suck the nutrients out of existing branches to do so. Should it be unable to do this, then the tree will destroy its own roots to regrow its trunk, quite often causing the tree to topple over in the process.

It should be noted that while trees themselves have no method of causing reproduction to occur, many animals cut off and rebury a part of a tree trunk as part of their mating rituals or eating habits.

Types of Tree

Trees come in 8 different (branch-to-tree) alignments, and a trees leaves come in four different "seasons".

Tree Alignments

These are the 8 different basic "shapes" that trees can grow in.

Note that the following are not the official Frental names for the trees:

1. Branching - the trunk grows branches in a random fashion, and the branches often fork and subfork.
2. Cactus - the trunk grows vertically up, and the branches grow out horizontally, and then turn vertical at a right angle.
3. Cage - the tree has a trunk, but also branches which grow from the top of the tree, and then reconnect to the tree at the bottom, creating a ball.
4. Droopy - the trunk leans over, and the branches all grow towards the ground.
5. Fantale - the trunk grows less than 10cm, and the branches all grow in the same dimension, each of uniform length and no two in the same direction.
6. Shooter - the trunk grows vertically, and the branches come off at right angles.
7. Explosion - the trunk grows as normal, and the branches grow only from the top, in random directions.
8. Umbrella - the trunk grows vertically, and the only branches come out at the top, one in each direction, sagging down at the end.

Leaf Seasons

The behaviour of the leaves of a tree are defined by their "season".

1. Tox - Instead of growing in a typical roughly ovalur shape, the leaves are shaped as in the diagram to the side.
2. Wompter - The tree never loses its leaves.
3. Ottom - Every Wompter, the leaves of the tree disconnect from the branches and fall to the ground, and grow again during the season of Ottom.
4. Sollospod - The leaves look different according to temperature. When cold or dry, they become extremely thin and sharp; when wet, they are green and wide; when hot, they are wide and all different shades of brown.