Barachania Tree

The Barachania tree is an impossibly large tree that can be found orbiting over earth and water worlds. They generally look like large shpere- shaped balls of vegitation, with what appears to be a disk of wood bisecting the center. They also have several fillament- like "tails" that eminate from various points around the tree, and can extend for miles. The leaves are roughly circular, about one foot in diameter, and have a waxy covering. From a distance a tree looks like a hairy ball of vegitation. The large, woody disk in the center of the tree acts as a "trunk," and it is from here that the rest of the trees branches eminate. The fillaments only eminate from the largest branches. The trees have their own gravity plane, and maintain an atmosphere, making them convienent if uncomfortable stops for travelers.

Combat: Being a plant, the trees pose no immediate danger to anyone approaching them. Their sheer size makes them almost impossible to kill, even by fire. Then again, they are more useful alive than dead to anyone. The only real danger posed by one of these trees is what may be living in it (see below), so approach them with caution.

Ecology: Barachania trees are found orbiting planets that support plant life, such as earth worlds and water worlds. There is a small "forest" of them in the Astromundi cluster which is a noteable exception to this, but even they are close to asteroids with plentiful water. As with most plants, they require sunlight to maintain themselves. Their sphere shape insures that at any one time at least 20% of the tree is receiving sunlight.

The long, thin fillaments that eminate from the ball- shaped plant perform two functions. First, they act as "roots" for the tree. The fillaments are specially designed to extract gasses from the surrounding wildspace and from the planet it's orbiting. In this way, the tree is able to produce it's own supply of water and neutrients. Should the fillament come in contact with actual water, it will soak it up, and pump it to the main part of the tree, where it will be stored in much the same way a cactus stores water.

The fillaments also serve to distribute the pollen that allow the trees to reproduce. When two compatable pollens connect in wildspace—usually a considerable distance from their parrent trees—they will interact to form a cone about six inches long. This cone drifts in space until it settles over a suitable planet. Initial growth is quite fast, with the tree reaching a diameter of roughly 100 feet in the first five years. Many trees never get beyond this size, but 100 feet is large enough for the tree to thrive normally. If circumstances allow the tree to grow larger, the disk shapped trunk can achieve a diameter of almost two miles over a period of about 100 years. The life span of a Barachania tree has been estimated at almost 4000 years.

Uses: Since they are in many ways "oasis" is space, sporting their own water and air, the trees are a welcome site for many travelers. Within the canopy of the sphere- shaped branches lies an interconnected maze of branches, twigs, old fillaments, and large, waxy leaves. Creatures of all kinds can be found living in the branches of a Barachania tree. In a few systems, they are used as outposts.