Dalesonya

Dalesonya (-leh--yə), otherwise known as skybane or floatweed, is the common name ascribed to plants of the Aerofloris family. The names "dalesonya" and "floatweed" are more specifically used to describe plants of the species Tabernus dalesonya and Tabernus comonamia, while "skybane" is a more generalized term for all aeroflora of the genus Tabernus.

Description
The genus Tabernus includes all plants of the family Aerofloris that do not propel themselves under their own locomotion but rely on air currents for travel and seed propagation. The main body and stems are structured in a striated photosynthesizing mesh of light fibers that are neutrally buoyant with respect to air. Dalesonya is non-toxic, but has minimal nutritional value and energy yield due to its low density per cubic meter. Large, dense tracts of dalesonya often resemble and are mistaken for low-lying clouds, albeit tinged green.

T. dalesonya exhibits atypically thin and light photosynthesizing mesh, a trait it shares with T. comonamia. The genome of dalesonya however differs from T. comonamia in that it shows signs of crossbreeding with the gas-borne T. haktalia, and exhibits stemmed micropockets of hydrogen within its light mesh. In addition, T. dalesonya lacks the water retention capabilities of T. comonamia, often resulting in the two species being found in a symbiotic cluster. These traits are what cause dalesonya to be the most hated of the Tabernus aeroflora.

History
The first known description of dalesonya dates back to 561 MEC, with Oarspur texts detailing an early Tabernus plantation and its handling - indicating that plants of the genus may have not been bereft of nutrients in the past as they are now. However, there is a significant absence in Tabernus references in historical records following the 7th century MEC, with the next qualifiable mention immediately following the Oarspur's Great Famine. It is speculated that Tabernus plants were replaced with a more substantial diet long before, and were by this time beginning to be considered a undesired growth rather than a cultivation prospect - the name "floatweed" is thought to have originated in this time period.

It is thought that dalesonya was recognized as a separate species from T. comonamia and T. haktalia as early as the 1140s MEC, following the surge in botanical study after the Barian Fires caused a near-extinction event of most flora in the Baria Canyon. Documentation from this time details the discovery of dalesonya's hydrogen-carrying capacities through observations during the fires. It is speculated that dalesonya may have exacerbated the fires already extant, magnifying the scale of the disaster.

Current Classification
Currently, there are twenty-six known species of the genus Tabernus, the most prevalent of which are T. dalesonya, T. haktalia, T. caridian and T. lavondaris. Due to the difficulty of isolating samples, their high cross-pollination rate, and their wide distribution, the precise number of possible species is unknown.

Distribution
Dalesonya is essentially ubiquitous across the known world and in certain ecosystems interferes with the growth of other aeroflora, leading to its classification as a weed. Following the avian extinction of 3211 MEC, dalesonya were left without a major predator in the form of the lowly keredokh bird, leading to a large-scale population explosion and propagation.

Impediment to flight
Dalesonya poses a significant threat to pilots and air travel in general. Due to its high hover altitude, low visibility and cloud shape, clusters tend to foul engines and ignite them in blasts of hydrogen. The increasing propagation of dalesonya since the 3200s have in the years following have made air travel increasingly risky and difficult, effectively bringing it to a halt in the past decade. A case in point is the collapse of the Homebase-based Eastern Airlines syndicate after 1001001 (4076 MEC), with the catastrophic detonation of Flight 1010001101-653 shortly before landing at Chifton Interregional Airport. Disposing of a floatweed cluster is close to impossible, as conventional aeroflora steering techniques become nonviable at the altitudes dalesonya accumulate at. Short of igniting the cluster with pyrotechnics is, while spectacular, also spectacularly dangerous and may be ineffective, since most clusters are unevenly clumped into mixtures of T. dalesonya and T. comonamia, with the flammability of one cancelled out by the water retention of the other.

New

 * Keredokh bird

Existing

 * MEC
 * Oarspur