Kava tree

The kava tree was a plant species native to the swampy world of Mir Kaldu`uz in the Unknown Regions. Kava trees were distinctive for having a diameter equal to their height, and both could be over twenty meters on the largest specimens. Their branches, which could be as thick as a humanoid's body, extended outward in all directions, forming an umbrella around their trunks. Kava trees grew thick leaves and vines, and a variety of fruits; exactly what grew on a given kava tree was influenced by the mineral content of the ground beneath the swamp. The roots of a kava tree could extend as deep as its height above ground.

Kava trees grew almost everywhere on Mir Kaldu`uz, except at the far north and south of the planet, and were tightly clustered together among other plants. Their branches often threw the swamp water or marshy ground below into perpetual dim, even when it was broad daylight above their limbs.

The kava trees were vitally important to the establishment of permanent communities among the native Leiks. Once they had evolved sentience and the use of tools, the Leiks were able to hollow out kava trees; the largest could be made into multi-story dwellings for families or communal gathering places, and the trees themselves were tough enough that, even mostly hollowed out, they would not collapse as long as half a meter of tree remained along the circumference. Over time, the Leiks began to build communities on top of the kava trees, cutting down some for wood and using others as support pylons. The stability of kava wood enabled the Leiks to kilometer-wide cities using only a fraction of the kava trees for support, with the rest used as building material.

When the Leiks established offworld contact with the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob—and after the Tetrarchy's attempts at invasion had been warded off—the Leiks began to export kava tree wood to other planets. Through a combination of using their own mineral resources and importing steel and other alloys, they were able to replace the kava tree supports of their cities with anchored steel pylons, allowing them to build ever upward and sell even more kava trees.

Appearances

 * "It Takes Only One"