RE: [WorldofGlorantha] Palmaltela, grass

Jamie:
> Remember that much of Pamaltela resembles prehistoric earth, in both its
> fauna and flora. Grass was a relatively late arrival in evolutionary
> terms. Having said that, the parallel isn't exact, since grass evolved
> no later than the early Eocene (and probably earlier), and the fauna of
> the plains of central Pamaltela are generally 'later' than that.

It may be worth pointing out that the wind-pollinated grasses arose out of the animal-pollinated ones (i.e. grasses are a "throwback", albeit a mightily successful one). So there was a time of flowering, animal-pollinated plants before grasses. I personally want to know if rushes and sedges are present or if they are excluded as a job-lot?

CJ:
> That is a wonderfully evocative fact. I have long hankered to play a game
in Pamaltela, yet never have. One can imagine the > brightly coloured insects flying over fragrant fields of strange clovers, the deep underbrush of golden orange nettles, the > weird cyclads and palms cpmpeting with huge mosses and magical fungi. Cool! One day I will play there...

Nice picture, but tropical plants and insects do tend to be rather more evil than the nicely pastoral, bucolic, temperate ones. Also, a lot of savannah is not that African stuff kept low by herbivores but is pretty dense, tough bush. And furthermore, the cycads'll lose - they may be beautiful but they are a bit crap at growing and the like.

Sam.             Received on Sun 06 May 2007 - 15:06:57 EEST