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Phikeia

Name: Phikeia, aka Bubbleweed

Size: Medium

Region: Coastal

Lifespan: 6-7 years

Appearance

Long and slightly frilled fronds trail up from this algae's anchored "heart". These are thicker than they may first appear, being the kelp's means of storing, then converting, the hydrogen it separates from the water it dwells in. The colors of the fronds alternate depending on the algae's environment. When grown in fresh water, they range between a light to murky green, whereas in salt water they take on a reddish hue.

Behaviour

This organism's main proof against extinction is in sheer numbers. Phikeia can grow most anywhere that there is water and proper substrate for it to anchor itself to. It has no defense mechanisms, though should its H²O filtering be interrupted it may release its oxygen prematurely.

Diet: Gas bladders called pneumatocysts, a unique feature of kelp, keep the upper portions of the algae afloat. Phikeia differs from the usual in that its fronds' pneumatocysts are near their tips rather than the base. These gas bladders are normally filled with the kelp's excess hydrogen supply, but the algae gradually siphons this deeper into itself. Instead of the pneumatocysts emptying, they fill with a form of sap, till the kelp's fronds start to bend inward, toward the heart of the plant. When the pneumatocysts are fully filled with sap, this signals the kelp to begin gathering hydrogen once more, resulting in a bubble of oxygen coalescing under the layers of fronds, which expands till the algae resembles a rounded dome. As the plant reclaims the sap from its pneumatocysts, the gas bladders fill with hydrogen, till the kelp's fronds float open and release the once trapped oxygen. This is likely what inspired the algae's common name of "bubbleweed".

Habitat: Similar to other types of kelp, instead of tree-like roots that extend into the substrate, phikeia has "anchors" called holdfasts that grip onto rocky substrates. From the holdfasts, the kelp grows toward the water's surface. This kelp's survival is positively correlated with the strength of the substrate. The larger and stronger the rock on which it is anchored, the greater the chance of kelp survival. Winter storms and high-energy environments easily uproot the kelp and can wash entire plants ashore.

Special Information

Uses:

• It is believed that should someone be deeply submerged in a body of water without a supply of air, that if the individual is near a forest of phikeia they may be able to peel back some of the algae's fronds to access the oxygen beyond. This is a delicate procedure, and it is hard to know precisely how much tampering the kelp will allow before it releases the oxygen all at once.
• Phikeia is a staple food source for villages that live near large bodies of water, such as the settlements along the Ao Coast. With the exception of the sap when concentrated within the pneumatocysts, the algae is fully edible. Most commonly, it is harvested and dried so that it can be packaged, transported, and stored easily. Dried phikeia can be used like a garnish, re-hydrated and added to foods like soup and stews, or ground up with dough for crackers and other snack foods. Fresh phikeia has historically been used as a vegetable. It can be marinated to make salads, or included in mixed vegetable dishes. Various parts of phikeia have different textures, from crunchy and dense stems to chewy fronds, allowing cooks to experiment with a range of "mouth feels" when they use phikeia in their food.
• There are rumors that some Nymph villages have discovered how to dilute the sap of the phikeia. The supposed purpose of this is to mix it with water, creating a solution that acts much like the soapy liquid children use to blow bubbles. However, the rumors hint that the Nymph version feels, smells, and otherwise seems like unmodified water.
  
  You really don't want to drink this solution, however, which has come to be called "bubble water". It may have the same look and feel as regular water, but the diluted sap that's been mixed in tastes horrible!

Origin: Some say that Xanth decided to alter a variety of kelp to help keep her oceans clean and her people fed. Others claim that the kelp originated from Earth and changed on its own over the centuries.

Creator: Colleen