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Name: Clamantes Viduam (The 'Crying' Willow Tree)
Biology: The Clamantes Viduam as it appears seems to be an all in all rather ordinary tree.. long, crescent shaped, jagged leaves drape the trees many vine-like extensions that hang from its far extending branches. The bark of the tree itself when new layers form are a pale green which quickly becomes a dark brown as the tree ages. At the pique of its growth cycle, the 'Crying' Willow grows to about 20 meters tall and equally as broad on average, with few larger due to exceptional circumstances. The wood of the tree is flexible and moist, allowing the tree to sway and bend. Like most plant matter, the tree drinks sunlight and uses phytosynthesis to produce glucose for ATP production as well as requiring phosphorus enriched soil to grow. But, the normality of this monster ends there.
Immediately in the wild, when presented with a specimen of the Clamantes Viduam, one would instantly notice very quickly that there would be little other plant-life surrounding it. The Clamantes Viduam is exceedingly hostile to other vegetation and animals, its deep roots, which are often extremely shallow, grow even wider and longer than the branches of the tree, devouring an enormous amount of fluid from the earth. This lends the tree to often cultivate and excel around moist places bordering large water sources like rivers or lakes. But its not only its roots that attack others, the highly soluble, viscus and adhesive sap which grows from the tree is the sort of long lasting natural bio-weapon that only tropical worlds like Tython could provide.
Breeding: The Clamantes Viduam breeds through cellular generation and self reconstruction. Splinters of branches often shed from the tree, some which are live, or lucky enough to plant itself into nutrient rich soil near enough water can easily become whole new trees on their own. Also, the trees nut like seeds grow within small green berry like bundles amongst the leaves which are hard to see within the foliage. These seeds are equally able to be blown by wind great distances to be planted and produce another of these monolithic willows, however, it takes on average, at least two decades into the trees life cycle to even begin to grow these seeds..
Strengths: Due to being in wet climates, its high water intake and the sap which coats the rest of the willow, the tree is rather hard to catch alight in the wild, and is more likely to simply smolder and blacken even within the rare forest fires of the rain-forest areas that it tends to inhabit. The tree has developed numerous toxins within itself to protect itself, its bark as well as its berries from harm, be it from bark grazing herbivores or invasive insects and birds which would otherwise harm the tree. The Phorbol of the tree itself has the property of being highly soluble, making even rain-water which has come into contact with the tree highly dangerous.
Weaknesses: The tree takes a long time to mature, and the cultivation rates of its seeds are notoriously low due to how fickle they are. Botanists and Herbologists claim that the reason for its low reproductive rate is simply due to how dominant the tree is in any environment it actually manages to mature in. Simply put, the tree is free to attempt to reproduce over and over again without fear of being destroyed or inhibited simply due to how aggressively it dominates its surrounding area.
Diet: The 'Crying' Willow absorbs nutrients through the ground with its invasive and expansive root structure, capable of drying out moist areas without a consistent water source on its own due the sheer magnitude of the plant's required water intake. Other than its own hydro absorption network, the willow generates through photosynthesis normally.
Behavior/Temperament: The tree is exceedingly invasive and aggressive toward all life in its environment, literally carving out a location of land where it dominates on every level, in such an efficient manner it earned itself its name. The tree attacks other beings from multiple fronts, extending roots which wrap up smaller plants, starving them of water as well as absorbing so much water in the area that smaller plants simply cannot fight for control nearby. Those few plants which are able to survive on a low enough moisture content, be it from rainfall alone or other means, are then attacked by the very rain that falls on them. The 'Crying' Willows core toxin; Phorbol, found thickly in its sap is a hyper aggressive chemical irritant, which, even by rainfall can make rain-water toxic enough to cull all but a stark few plants which have developed a resistance within its area. It is not uncommon to see birds and other small animals bodies' around one of these trees, swollen horrifically with sores and inflammation due to using the tree as shelter from rainfall. As an additional note, other lesser toxins can be found in the trees leaves and berries, enough to potentially be lethal to small animals due to trace amounts of cardiac glycosides found within them. Enough to make a humanoid sick, but little else.
Communication: N/A
Culture: The Sap from the Clamantes Viduam was used by native peoples to coat blades and projectiles with due to the added lethality it would give to the weapons, also, several amphibians and a single species of bird over hundreds of years have developed some resistance to the toxin of the tree, while still not immune enough to live under it, they have adapted to use the toxin on their backs or feathers as a type of armour to keep themselves safe.
History: While the Clamantes Viduam has been a known factor on Tython for many years as well as a couple of other forest planets in the inner rim. It has not been used practically other than a weapon or a poison by most of the earlier tribes around them. The toxins it produce are extremely concentrated irritants that have been used to test to see if anti-irritants are highly effective. As a weapon it was used to a great extent, tipping arrows, coating blades or using as a poison in food or drinking water were common uses for the sap.
Planet: Tython (L-10)
Technology: Phorbol when it comes into contact with organic matter has an instantaneous effect similar to an extreme allergic reaction which spreads from the effected area. With symptoms being redness, itchiness, hot flushes, irritation, extreme swelling, blistered tumors, tissue damage consistent with chemical burns and if too much area is exposed to the toxin (60% or higher of a victim) even anaphylaxis and death... all within a matter of moments. Should the chemical be swallowed, the effect causes the walls of the throat and other exposed skin areas to swell violently, causing the victims airways to close off and the lungs to swell, causing pulmonary oedema, making it incredibly hard and even impossible to breathe, also increasing the chance of anaphylactic shock astronomically.
Treatment: Phorbol can be treated with powerful antihistamines and hyrdocortisols which would be used to treat extremely severe allergic reactions. These chemcials over time will allow the blisters to heal as they would normally and prevent the creeping spread of the affliction. Antibacterials are also recommended to prevent infection to the irritated areas. In severe cases of anaphylaxis, adrenaline can be used to keep the heart moving and aid the body in fighting the irritant.
Intent: The intent is to broaden some of the more colorful flora in the setting for use as a chemical weapon for weapon coating or use in darts and other ranged technology similar to the kaminoan saber darts or gas grenades.
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