PROTO TAX ITES Prototaxites arboroltilium Earth fungi typically fall into two categories. Those who eat death, and those who have symbiosis with trees and stuff. P. arboroltilium is both. Prototaxites spores must land on a corpse in order to start their life cycle. From there, they grow both a fruiting body and mycelium in tandem, which is odd for fungi. The mycelium make it to the soil and begin meeting with plant roots, while the fruiting bodies store energy. Eventually, there's one extremely tall fruiting body and a very large series of mycelium that actually grows to be pretty wide, like tree roots. The fruiting body now serves to make spores in warmer months, but still functions like a huge battery, hence the name. It will suck out nutrients and energy from healthy trees at a slow rate, and reverse this flow to an unhealthy tree if needed, even if it begins to pull from its own reserves. The outer layer of prototaxite skin is toxic, giving hallucinogenic properties, as well as paralysis. when in danger, it may release a chemical similar in smell to flesh, which lures nearby predators over. In short don't eat prototaxites, you'll have sleep paralysis with the weirdest visuals ever and be eaten alive by a dinosaur.
