bidentistinen

Bidentistinen is a fictional genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It contains a single described species, Bidentistinen bifurcata. The name combines bi- (two) and dent- (tooth), referring to the plant’s two prominent marginal teeth on each leaf.

Description: Bidentistinen bifurcata is a small evergreen shrub typically reaching 0.6 to 1.8 meters in height. It has slender, upright stems with opposite, simple leaves up to 6 cm long. Each leaf bears two distinct teeth near the apex, giving it a characteristic two-toothed appearance. Inflorescences are solitary capitula at the tips of branches, consisting of pale yellow ray florets surrounding a dark central disk. The fruit is an achene with a short pappus.

Distribution and habitat: The species is described as endemic to montane cloud forests of the Sundara Highlands on the island of Sundara in the Western Archipelago. It prefers shaded understory and forest-margin habitats on acidic, well-drained soils at elevations of roughly 900–1,600 meters.

Ecology and relationships: Pollination is attributed mainly to native bees, with seeds dispersed locally by gravity and light wind. The plant forms associations with mycorrhizal fungi that aid nutrient uptake. Bidentistinen bifurcata is regarded as a rare component of its ecosystem, with potential sensitivity to changes in forest structure and microclimate.

Taxonomy and status: Within the fictional taxonomy of its region, Bidentistinen is placed in the tribe Heliantheae and is considered distinct from closely related genera by leaf dentition and inflorescence morphology. No formal conservation assessment exists for this created species.