SPINACHLANDS AND FORESTS

Although the evolution of animals in Desma is certainly interesting and fascinating, one must not ignore that while desmans, snails and crabs balance a powerful triad of endemic fauna, only one seeded species of plant carries the bulk of terrestrial floral diversity: the spinach. Initially just a simple greenish herb, in 10 million years, without the presence of any other vascular plant, spinach radiated immensely into forms and biotic influences unlike one might predict. In this short period of time, the fast evolving spinach now cover almost all land areas, having spread across conditions that are cold, hot, wet, and/or dry. Despite them now forming habitats as diverse as forests, shrublands and "spinachlands" (open areas filled with short-heighted spinacian herbs), there were still a lot of evolutionary achievements they had to cross through, and that took its time. Fortunetly, the competition-free environment of Desma allowed these changes to occur at a dramatically fast rate.

Spinach was initially an herb that typically only grew to about a foot tall. The tallest spinachs in the first few thousands of years of seeding could grow as tall as an average adult human, thanks to localized abundance of resources. Spinach during those early years retained several characteristics from their terran ancestry. For instance, spinach are typically dioecious, that is, each individual plant only has one type of flower, either male or female. Although this tactic of reproduction increases genetic variability, it does restrict how well these plants can endure in restrained circumstances, as it prevents them from being able to self-pollinate. Although spinach are flowering plants, their pollination is not done through animal interactions, like Earth plants often do with pollinating insects, instead spreading their pollen through the wind. This proved highly advantageous in a planet lacking any insects to pollinate. Finally, spinach perform C3 photosynthesis, a widespread and efficient photosynthesis method among Earth plants, especially in relatively wet and warm environments, but not as efficient as C4 photosynthesis in dry and hot environments. These impositions laid out in the spinach ancestral form would influence the adaptations of its descendance, but not for a long while.

In 10 million years time, trees across much of the world are already well present. These spinach trees that we see in this image are Torothrix gigantea. They're common components of the Meospera equatorial forests. These magnificent trees can reach up to 30 meters tall. Although not all spinach trees in Desma are like this, the majority are monoecious. Monoecy evolved rapidly among spinachs, and it facilitated the spread of tree-like forms across the various lands of the planet. With trees, whole different forms of evolutionary arms races could occur. Among spinach, the closed conditions of forests forced plants to strategize life where light could be taken out rapidly by the tallest species, and eventually plants with spiny stems evolved to deter competition, and others started to become creepers, growing next to trees to try to snake away from the other ground-dwelling competitors. In animals this type of new floral achievement also caused profound changes, allowing many to find the canopy as a distinct environment, promoting diversity. For spinach trees to sustain themselves, a complex network of soil-dwelling organisms, such as fungi, slime molds, microbes and nematodes, facilitated decomposition of organic matter, loosening the soils for large roots to grow, and symbiotic relationships soon strengthened to permit spinach trees to live elongated lives.

Some of the most extreme environments of Desma were more promptly colonized by spinach than any of the native triad of animal lineages. A few spinach species developed C4 photosynthesis and occupied the harsh deserts (though many desert dwelling spinach in Desma still retain C3 photosynthesis anyway). The harsh environment meant that many of these plants look little more than shrubs or sages, though some can grow into formidable thorny bushes, impressive desert trees, and even color the deserts with green or reddish spinachlands. One of the most extreme inhabitants of Desma is Cataphractophyton infernalis. This shrub is an halophyte, dominating the coastal salt dunes of southwestern Meospera.

With this dramatic diversity, spinach are prepared to further rule this world and dominate over the lifeforms of Desma in new and incredible ways in the foreseeable future.