Archer Trees

An archer tree is any tree that willingly hosts the devil’s archer. They are similar to myrmecophytes (tree-ant symbioses) in that they benefit from an association with a predatory animal, while providing housing and structure for the predator. The trees are the scaffold for the devil’s archer. The lower branches are devoid of leaves; instead, they are sturdy and textured so that the archer can take root and build a colony that will protect and feed the plant. Waste from the devil’s archer supplies nutrients that are lacking in the depleted soil. Some species siphon waste directly from the archer, while others let the waste fall and fertilize the soil at the roots.

They are also similar to myrmecophytes because they do not belong to one genus, but have evolved separately from multiple pterosperm genera. Three species are shown here. On the top is the archer’s bow tree. It is the most common archer tree on Pandaros. Related to the archer’s bow is the wounded tree (bottom right), which attracts prey with a sugary nectar that seeps out of lesions in the bark. The unrelated ashenskin (bottom left) is hostile to greater devil’s archer, as the added mass would break the lightweight boughs. Instead, it hosts the lesser devil’s archer, which preys exclusively on animals that crawl across the archer’s surface.

See more of this diorama: fav.me/d7r0pp6