Purpacera
The Purpacera is a fast-growing, short-lived, often shrubby tree adapted to sandy, relatively saline soil and salty, coastal breezes. Specimens typically reach 1.5 m (~4.9 feet) at 10 years, give or take a few weeks. It can live in full-sun or light shade conditions. Their most conspicuous change is having a "mimic mode" when young. Due to changes in developmental timing in its leaves and stems that parallel the Purpleblade's proportions and adaptable pigment distribution, it can imitate Robust Purpleblades well, or tall, pinkish species of Darwinblades with less accuracy. The phenomenon of mimicking less-tasty nearby species is similar to that of the Australian mistletoe and its host, or, to a lesser extent, like Boquila trifoliolata. The young specimens, while in “mimic mode”, are more shade-tolerant than the adults. When juvenile Purpaceras undergo a sudden growth spurt and change to "tree mode", their original "disguise" is locked, whether it's Robust Purpleblades or Darwinblades. Eventually, parts of its disguise, such as leaf pigmentation, are lost, but stem pigmentation is lost much more slowly. The specimen featured is an adult Darwinblades mimic, as clear from its slightly pinkish-purple stem.
Physiology
Most individuals can reproduce by roughly ten years and one month, although very good conditions allow them to mature at ten years and eight days. Purpaceras are actually capable of growing up to 2.5 m, but its average size is 1.5 m, due to factors such as stunting from salt, wind, or competition with other flora.
Unlike its ancestor, which could live for several decades, most Purpaceras become too weak to regenerate against injury and die at around 16 years, although they can live up to 20.
Purpaceras’ salt resistance make them one of the most salt-resistant large purpleflora of their time, and certainly the most salt-resistant purpleflora tree. Its waxy leaves protect it from salty breezes. As a sapling, the wax is minimal, giving it little difference from the Robust Purpleblades around it, but as it grows, the wax grows thicker and more obvious. Purpaceras have some tolerance to salty soil, though not so much as to make notable, visible adaptations. It uses silica to resist salt stresses by controlling water balance and making molecular barriers in its roots. Its subtle adaptations are similar to somewhat salt-resistant cultivars of rice.
A Purpacera grows a wind-pollinated inflorescence in the fall and occasionally early spring, depending on climate cycles. Although wind pollination is inherently inefficient, the ocean breezes and also tendency to grow in sub-habitats with no other flora its size makes reproduction easy.
Purpacera often grow at high densities, especially on the borders of Darwin Temperate Woodland. The accumulation of dead individuals can lead to huge wildfires. However, adults’ waxy leaves and stems give them some resistance, and their proximity to the coast creates a moist climate.
Soon after sprouting, Purpaceras detect which 'models' are nearby and most dominant using shallow, fibrous roots. The roots sense species-specific root chemicals and concentrations, leading to epigenetic changes as they develop to mimic the models. They can only choose a disguise once. If concentrations of chemicals are equal, it imitates the Robust Purpleblade, which it can imitate with more accuracy. If hosts are not nearby during the imitation stage, the sprout shall delay its growth and above-ground development for a few days, growing its roots out further than usual to detect which models are nearby.
If it cannot detect a model within the window of the extended sprout stage, it grows into a Purpine-like phenotype, but stunted with spinier leaves. A Purpacera without a model grows stunted regardless of whether the conditions are ideal. As it is unable to avoid paying the 'cost' of anti-predator or grazer features (e.g., having leaves high in silica) by disguising itself as something less tasty, it always keeps some energy in reserve for its regeneration from inevitable damage, rather than growth. However, in natural conditions, a Purpacera never being able to find a model is very rare, as its models are so common in its habitats.
Geographical Details
It lives farther from the beach itself than the Crystal Gazebo or Beach Chandelier. It is rarely subject to the tides or storm surges, but constantly exposed to coastal winds and salty breezes. It’s a secondary species found on the foredune and in maritime forest areas of Darwin Temperate Woodland. Although they do germinate even closer to the ocean than the foredune, they have yet to form a consistent population in that range, because they are too often killed by direct or indirect storm damage before reaching maturity.
Those growing closer to the ocean are smaller and shrubbier due to poorer conditions, and tend to have shorter lifespans. However, they have less competition for nutrients and sunlight. The edges of Darwin Temperate Woodland, near East Darwin Temperate Beach, are dominated by taller Purpacera specimens in maritime forest sub-habitats, due to their tolerance of salty breezes. As it is not as well-adapted to slough off snow as its ancestor, it is more common in northern parts of the Darwin Temperate Woodland habitat.
Seen from above, the landscapes featuring Purpaceras often pass through tidal zone-dwelling crystal flora like Crystal Gazebos, to Darwinblades and Robust Purpleblades, to Shrub Gazebos and shrubby Purpacera, and eventually to maritime forests of more impressive Purpacera, followed by Trident Cushios and Purpines, and then enormous crystal trees.
Ecological Interactions
Its photosynthetic, branch-like leaves provide resting spots for tiny fliers along the coast, like Spardiflies. Snapped-off leaves provide habitat and food for various small fauna, like Rolyknights. By default, it grows leaves in alternate arrangements (as seen above), but damage can alter growing patterns. Like its ancestor, if broken below the apical meristem, it can devote its energy to side branches. These branches can grow much larger than normal, although they rarely break off from overgrowth alone.
The Purpacera co-occurs in similar strands of vegetation as its close relative, the Robust Purpleblade and Darwinblades. Indeed, it benefits from Robust Purpleblades and Darwinblades stabilizing sandy beaches. Where they are absent, their distribution is patchier. As much as it benefits from them, he flora are also so tall they compete with the Purpacera for sunlight. The Purpacera, therefore, secretes a mild allelopathic chemical that prevents Robust Purpleblades and Darwinblades from germinating within half a meter of it, giving it sufficient 'elbow room' to photosythesize in especially dense stands of Robust Purpleblades.
Younger Purpacera specimens somewhat resemble the Robust Purpleblade, and may be mistaken for them if one's not looking closely. Strangely enough, they are actually more digestible and nutritious than Robust Purpleblades from sprouting to about 40 cm; it only makes the allelopathic chemical for more 'elbow room' after it's reached 40 cm. Until that point, it essentially hides from herbivores by disguising itself as something less tasty.
It takes months for it to accumulate significant levels of phytoliths of biosilica in its stems and leaves, which discourages herbivores from eating it. It lacks true wood, relying on phytoliths in its stem for structural integrity at its upper heights.