Lycophyta

Lycophyte culture varies widely depending on the age of the colony and influences from other species. Young colonies with few elders tend to be relatively primitive. However, rumors persist of a Lycopod Home world with elders that have existed for millions of years. While various spacefarers have claimed to have encountered this ancient, remarkably peaceful world free of war or conflict, few have any substantial evidence to show for it. They are usually met with some variation of the same skeptical response, “Lycos? Peaceful? You must have been mad with space fever” 

Unlike typical wild Lycophyta, those that have grown up alongside other species tend to take on similar characteristics to their neighbors, often going as far as to integrate into local society and cultures. That is assuming they are given the chance to do so. Oftentimes, young lycopods are considered little more than a dangerous nuisance and dealt with as though they were little more than aggressive weeds. This stance is often exacerbated by groups like the Skeeters who have been known to weaponize Lyco seed pods as improvised torpedoes. When these pods pierce a ship, aggressive young Lycophytes are released to terrorize its inhabitants while the Skeeters make off with supplies in the confusion.

Space travel for Lycophyta involves spreading their seeds into the galaxy, with any luck landing on new, hospitable worlds. This is a natural part of the Lycopod lifecycle. Once a Lycophyte reaches approximately 50 years old, they start rooting and are considered elders. Once rooted, a Lycophyte begins a secondary growth cycle, typically about 50 years into this cycle, capable of producing seed pods. These pods, when ready, are expelled with great force into the atmosphere, bursting and releasing a shower of cotton-like fluff and seeds to be blown across the planet’s surface. Around the age of 150, an elder Lycophyte's seed pods are expelled with sufficient force to leave the planet's atmosphere, embarking on a journey through the stars, aiming to seed another planet and begin the process anew.