The Nature of Protoculture
Protoculture is one of the big mysteries of robotech, with a lot of contradictory information stemming from various fan theories and non-canon comics and novels. so it is important to define what it is according to the TV show dialog, and not the inconsistent non-canon theories.
1.) From the show, protoculture is a fuel produced from the invid flower of life, either the flower itself or from it's spores (in show dialog by the robotech masters during episode 60 "catastrophe" indicates both, in the same scenes. in the same episode there is even the indication that protoculture can be made from a combination of both spores and flowers.)
2.) We know that protoculture molecules form the basis of robotech master's Mothership power generating systems. (As Louie Nichols explains in episode 39 "danger zone") we also know that by the New Generation era, human mecha employed protoculture fuel to power their mecha, both in the form of small can shaped 'protoculture cells' and in their infantry and heavy weaponry, and that Humans, Zentreadi, and Robotech Master's starships use Protoculture in their power plants.
3.) We also know from dialog that protoculture has some relationship (at least in zentraedi minds, which is not conclusive due to their limited technical knowledge) to Reflex technology such as reflex warheads, reflex cannon, and reflex furnaces. however earth managed to build large numbers of reflex weapons and reflex furnaces without knowledge of protoculture (nor any access to a large supply of the material itself) during the time between 1999 and 2011, implying that while protoculture might be commonly associated with Reflex technology, it is not absolutely required.
so to sum all of this up, protoculture is a molecule extracted from the spores of the Flower of Life, which can be used in reactors and other power plants such as Reflex Furnaces to generate electrical power.
When the Robotech masters are discussing how their supply of protoculture has been contaminated by Flower of Life, we are shown large clear tanks of liquid with the Flower of Life Plant growing inside them, suggesting that Protoculture is in fact a liquid and it is either colorless or nearly so.
Additional information:
Protoculture Canisters (also known as "protoculture cells") are about 4 inches in diameter and 6 inches high, and would thus most likely hold 1 quart (1/4th a gallon, or 1 liter) of Protoculture fuel.
Protoculture is an explosive material, and very likely with adjustment internal combustion engines can burn it instead of hydrocarbon fuels, they way such engines can be adapted to run on alcohol, methane, or even plain hydrogen. This use would certainly be far less efficient than using it in proper Protoculture Power Cells and reactors, and probably still produces an energy signature the invid can detect. during the invid occupation of earth, most conventionally fueled (hydrocarbon or hydrogen) vehicles would have been converted to use protoculture fuel as an alternative, due to shortages of regular fuels. (such as the Cola truck seen and hijacked by Scott Bernard's group in Episode 65, "Curtain Call")
The Flower of Life is in fact not actually a flower, or rather it is not a flower in a form familiar to earth. It reproduces by spores (as described by the Musica and Zor in episode 50 "Triumvirate", as well as the Robotech masters and the narrator in episode 60 "catastrophe".) rather than seeds, similar to Ferns. Further while it does have petal like clusters, the plant lacks any form of leaf, instead possessing simple a vine like stem. The lack of leaves and the fact that it is always seen growing inside or from liquid, it is likely an epiphytic life form, drawing all its nutrients from the surrounding ambient environment, rather than a complex root system, which is another fern like trait. The yellow central structures on the 'flower' portion do not resemble the pistils and stemens of flower however, they more closely resemble the spore producing Sporangium of several earth ferns. which would explain the lack of leaves or fronds, as that would make the pink 'petals' its actual leaves, using some unearthly variety of Chlorophyll. Such clusters are not uncommon in epiphytic ferns on earth. Thus the evidence suggests that the 'Flower of Life' is in fact a plant similar to earth ferns, that has evolved a coincidental visual similarity to earth flowers.
