Brubber trees were a landmark of Balebian plains, often growing in small copses.

Biology

Brubber trees had thick trunks (up to 1.5 meters wide) and were about 8 meters high, although some specimens could reach much higher. It had a thick crown of green leaves, which it lost during winter. Along the bare trunk all the way to ground level grew bulbous fruit which were rich in proteins. A tree formed a shared network of roots with other brubbers of its copse, through which the trees could communicate and share nutrients. The trees' bark and leaves contained an acidic substance which most plant-eaters and insects hated, but their sap was thick and rich in a multitude of nutrients.

Brubber trees didn't form forests, but only small copses of up to 40 individuals. Sometimes, multiple kilometers lied between copses. The trees were very sensitive to the climate and soil, but at the same time appeared both in cold rough Intralu as well as Balebu. They only grew as individual copses in plains, but did not survive in forests.

They were fecundated indirectly, but not through traditional pollen. Brubber sap was packed with gene packages which fastened to whatever touched them. These particles, if they touched another tree's sap, could then fecundate it. Seeds were located in brubber fruit and grew out of feces. Young brubber trees were very fragile and usually required multiple young trees growing near each other to survive.

Role in the Ecosystem

Brubber trees essentially formed a closed ecosystem with badeep. These large mammals ate their fruit and spread the seeds. Also, with their strong tusks, they gashed open parts of the bark and drank on sap. By then doing this with other trees, badeep fertilized them. They were the only native animal able to do so.

Trivia

Why did brubber trees grow in copses? When located in the middle of a plain, young saplings needed other brubbers close by to survive, encouraging their growth in groups. Additionally, badeep were most often located in brubber copses, so the most likely location for feces-seed packages to land was in an existing copse.

Also, badeep did not enter forests.