Albalinguārum calix
White-tongued goblet
(Trapper tongues, sticky tongues, ghost cup)
X
20-25cm height; the goblets are 4-5cm across.
Herbivorous. Traps mainly airborne seeds.
Usually found on the edges of forest
clearings and the meeting of forests
and meadows.
Prefers moist shady places.
Grey-white coloration (because it lacks chlorophyl).
Odourless and flavourless, since it does not want to attract insects or animals.
The white leaves secrete sticky mucilage that is very hard to dissolve. Avoid touching it.
Albalinguārum calix is extremely rare. If a specimen in bloom is identified report it immediately to the Society.
Albalinguārum calix is a small herbivorous plant. It is not capable of photosynthesis, and is almost completely dependable on trapping for nutrition. The trapping is done with its long white leaves that secrete sticky mucilage. A seed caught by the stickiness will be wrapped by the leaf using rapid growth. The leaf will then roll over itself, lowering its catch into the goblet. The goblet is the stomach, where enzymes first dissolve the sticky mucilage, causing the seed to be released, and proceed to digest the seed. The white tongue-leaf then unfurls, ready to capture another seed.
Each goblet grows 3-5 tongue leaves, and each leaf can hold a captured seed for a time before lowering it to be digested. This allows the Albalinguārum calix to catch several seeds at once, and digest them later. It is assumed that this method developed because seeds are only available for short periods, and several could be carryied by the same wind gust.
Albalinguārum calix blooms once in 5-6 years and its fruits are known for healing properties. The fruit is sought after by practitioners of parasitical magic, who believe that consuming it can grant them magical understanding or abilities. Because of this belief, the Albalinguārum calix has become endangered, and when a blooming plant is identified it is closely guarded.
