Tir-nuk

A small succulent tree, similar in general shape to the Earth ajouga, tir-nuk grows in the cracks between slabs of igneous rock on Vulcan, sending rootlets throughout the subsoil to flower and spread wherever the right conditions of rich volcanic ash and briefly open artesian water tables meet. Some tir-nuk patches extend invisibly under lava flows for tens of kilometers, with only a few patches emerging from narrow ravines far apart. The tir-nuk grows and dies rapidly, and its sap contains spores that reseed its root system wherever they touch soil. The wood of the tir-nuk burns with a bright, colorful, irregular flame as sections of spore-sap flare up, explode, and drop down. The fumes, like those of "dream moss" (gal-en-du'un), have a psychotropic impact on Vulcan physiologies.