flóru

Flóru is a fictional genus of flowering plants used in world-building and speculative biology. It appears in in-universe flora compendia for temperate forest regions of a northern archipelago called Northreach. The name Flóru is used in several languages within these texts and is often treated as a standard exemplar of understory flora.

Flóru species are evergreen shrubs reaching 0.5–1.5 meters in height. They have opposite, lanceolate leaves with a waxy surface. The inflorescences are dense panicles of small tubular flowers with five petals. Flower colors range from pale blue to violet, flowering mainly in late spring. The fruit is a dry capsule that splits to release multiple seeds.

Habitat and ecology. They occupy shaded, moist forest floors, often on acidic soils enriched by leaf litter. Flóru forms mycorrhizal associations and participates in early-successional guilds after disturbance. Pollination is primarily by nocturnal moths; seed dispersal is mainly wind-driven.

Taxonomy. In-universe taxonomy places Flóru within a fictional family, Floraceae, and includes a dozen described species, such as Flóru lumina and Flóru sericea. The taxonomy is standardized in field guides published by in-world botanists like L. Rook and S. Kade.

Cultural role. Flóru is used as a didactic example of shade-tolerant understory flora and appears in horticultural manuals within the fiction. It is also referenced in literature as a symbol of resilience in dim light.