Skywrack

Skywracks are gigantic plants native to planet Trees in the Orion's Arm universe.

Biology
A skywrack is a plant that grows on land, reaching heights up to one kilometer. Such heights are possible due to the low surface gravity on Trees and the presence of gas bladders on the uppermost part.

Many species have several canopy layers, with each harboring a distinct ecology consisting of animal and epiphyte life (plants that coexist with other plant life without harming it). Each skywrack may have 20 to 30 trunks and many more anchor vines.

Water for the uppermost parts of the tree (basically anything above 180 meters high) is collected in large aerial ponds that capture rain and guide it to the reservoirs through spiral watercourses running down the trunks. Because of this, a skywrack is highly dependant on rainfall and larger species can only grow in wet areas. Some species grow on shallow seas and have sturdy underwater root systems.

It is difficult to see far at the dark, ground level in skywrack forests because the various trunks and leaves and branches block out the foreground. Due to lack of sunlight, there is no almost no photosynthetic life. Instead, the understory has a decomposer-detritivore based ecology supported by dead leaves and animal droppings from above, with many organisms able to burrow or live underground as protection against forest fires.

The seed-pods of skywracks are often massive, so wildfire is needed to clear the land and trigger growth. Adapted human locals often use these seed-pods in crafts, as gourds or carved into various forms, and even the largest of which are hollowed into one room dwellings, called plakts.

Skywracks are home to a number of arthropod-like species, including the semi-sapient Pspyders and Honeywhips.