tallennetulla

Tallennetulla is a fictional genus of flowering plants used in speculative biology and world-building. In most imagined floras it is placed in the fictional family Tallennaceae and is monotypic, containing a single species, Tallennetulla ardens.

Morphology: Tallennetulla ardens is a tall, perennial herb with a single stout stem that can reach up to eight meters. The leaves are narrow, linear to lanceolate, 6–15 cm long, with a waxy blue-green surface. The plant flowers in a large terminal panicle; individual blossoms are small, five-petaled, pale lilac. A distinctive feature is the broad, leaf-like bracts beneath the panicle that form an umbrella-like canopy, giving the plant its characteristic silhouette.

Distribution and habitat: In the fictional world, tallennetulla is endemic to the temperate forests of the continent of Novara, where it prefers moist, shaded soils in disturbed clearings from mid to high elevations.

Ecology: Pollination occurs mainly by nocturnal moths, though wind-assisted transfer is possible. Seeds are dispersed by wind once the capsule dehisces. The plant can spread vegetatively via a shallow rhizome.

Etymology and taxonomy: The name tallennetulla is formed from in-world linguistic roots meaning "tall canopy." The genus is described by fictional botanist Dr. Lira Montal in 2147; it remains the sole genus in the fictitious family Tallennaceae.

Uses and cultural role: Within its fictional setting, tallennetulla is valued as an ornamental plant and as a natural shade provider in ornamental gardens and parks. It appears in world-building guides as a symbol of resilience and verticality.

Conservation notes: Being fictional, it has no real-world conservation status, but in many stories it is portrayed as vulnerable to habitat loss.