Milk Bamboo

Milk bamboo is a large bamboo species native to the Silty Treetops, expansive rainforests found nestled between the thousands of peaks in the Middle Mountains on Cilvarth. This bamboo species is the most heavily cultivated plant in the region, thanks to the milk it produces and gets its name from, and its structural stability.

Anatomy

Milk Bamboo by Mochi

Ugh, I can't get through this bamboo. It's too thick for my knife, as well. Wish I hadn't eaten three breakfasts, I can't even squeeze through.

— Frustrated cilvarthian

This species stands tall at over seven metres. Root systems in a cluster intermingle, making it incredibly difficult to permanently remove this bamboo from a location.

The stem is a dark green, with large green petals sprouting from the very top. They blossom during summer months, hundreds of thin yellow filaments emerging, following the sun as it glides above the mountains.

The older the bamboo is, the larger the petals. Ten year old bamboo can have petals over a foot long and wide.

Any and all small branches grow near the top of the plant, sprouting small leaves. They don't grow less than two metres from the ground, an evolutionary tactic to avoid ground-based herbivores.

Habitat

Native Range

Hover over me!

Silty Treetops

A Rainforest Refuge

This rainforest biome has spread throughout the Middle Mountains, filling in the valleys and canyons in the northern half of the range.
Silttop trees dominate these rainforests, their leaves so sturdy a cilvarthian child can dance atop them.

Milk bamboo grows in the Silty Treetops, growing in the few pockets where light reaches the ground. Silttop trees might dominate the surface of the rainforest, but milk bamboos reign over the underground. Their root systems all intertwine, making it truly impossible to remove these plants from a specific location.

The sturdy petals make for great nesting locations. Small birds choose to build their nests atop milk bamboo, using the filaments as supports, weaving long grasses together to create tall protective walls so eggs and chicks do not roll out. Milk bamboo spiders thread together giant cobwebs between patches of bamboo, catching anything that flies through, ranging from small insects to tiny birds.

Introduced Range

Hover over me!

Silver Desert

Chrome sands

The most famous region of Cilvarth is the Silver Desert.
Named after the streaks and patches of chrome silver sand flowing throughout the desert, it is home to some of the largest cities including Aricos, the second most populous settlement.

The Silver Desert has a somewhat similar climate to the Silty Rainforests, excluding the distinct lack of rainfall. Aureans discovered milk bamboo a thousand years ago and brought it back to the continent, planting it within the silty soil around Lake Kettle. The bamboo took to the soil, quickly spreading, which gave people a new source of milk.

It quickly became a quick-growing and fast-spreading supply of milk that became a staple of the region. The bamboo in Aurea is classified as a different subspecies, Psiloanthis galas aurea, as it has diverged slightly from its original mountain variety, Psiloanthis galas protos.

Bamboo in the Silver Desert has become a dominant species and is the direct cause of decreased biodiversity around Lake Kettle, particularly in the north and north-west.

Usage

Mountain Cilvarthian by Mochi

Ooh yay, there's a sale on bamboo milk. Better stock up, it's my favourite milk. Moomoo's milk is just a bit too sweet for me, and saptree milk is far too bitter.

The stem cavity of milk bamboo stores a special, nutrient-filled liquid used as an emergency store by the plant. The soil in the rainforests are severely lacking in nutrients, so milk bamboo has evolved to produce its own at a young age, and store it for its entire lifespan in case of an emergency.

This milk is harvested by the people of the Middle Mountains. It is often drank on its own or added into tea to soften its flavour, a very common preference. It is light and almost flavourless, making it a safe choice for children, and it possesses many health benefits.

The bamboo itself is very sturdy and often used in construction. It can safely support the weight of several adult cilvarthians, making it an easy, cost-effective choice for temporary construction scaffolding. It is not used in housing infrastructure, but can be seen in bridges and small platforms. When chopped, the bamboo can last up to fifty years before rotting.

Milk bamboo has been used by mountainspeople for thousands of years. Only in the last five hundred years has it been cultivated by people of Aurea, growing the bamboo in gigantic fields to harvest milk.

Scientific Name

Psiloanthis galas

Lifespan

8 - 15 years

Average Height

7 - 12 metres

Geographic Distribution

• Cilvarth
• Middle Mountains

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