Helliconian Tree

The Helliconian Tree is a vegetable organism specially adapted to survive the shifting seasons of the planet Helliconia, located in a binary star system.

Biology
These trees are shaped like industrial cooling towers and hibernate during the planet's long winters, to blossom during the summer season. Relatively short branches emerge from its top at this time and grow leaves to capture sunlight. When it's time to hibernate, it sheds its leaves, and its naked branches curl up like tentacles to be retracted into its body once again. It then forms a protective cap to cover its top side from the snow.

Appearances

 * Helliconia trilogy, by Brian Aldiss (1982 - 1985)
 * Natural History of an Alien, a.k.a. Anatomy of an Alien (1998)