The wroshyr tree was a species of flora native to the Kashyyyk system. First documented on Dantooine, the species of tree was also recorded on far–flung worlds, such as Sarapin. The Kashyyyk system, specifically Kashyyyk, was recognized as the origin of the wroshyr due to petrified remains of a forest of trees that dated as far back as fifty million years. Petrified remains were also witnessed on the colony moon, Alaris Prime, which dated roughly a millennium later. This suggested that a large interstellar collision occurred that separated the two entities.
The wroshyr tree, for several millennia, was known as an average–sized tree that had distinctive aerating roots similar to Dagobah's gnarltree. After the introduction of the Kashyyyk system to the known galaxy, the perception of the wroshyr was radically changed. The Kashyyyk variant grew kilometers upon kilometers tall and had the capacity to provide shelter to thousands of Wookiees. Unsure of why the wroshyr grew so large on Kashyyyk and, to a lesser extent, Alaris Prime, Republic scientists hypothesized that the Wookiee wroshyr had a much longer lifespan and suffered from climate change and deforestation significantly less than its varieties on Dantooine and Sarapin. However, it was revealed that Rakatan terraforming technology manipulated the growth of the trees.
Thousands of years later, the Sarapin breed became extinct during an event on the planet that annihilated all life on the world. The planet was consumed by lava flows, ash and noxious gases. Examples of the subspecies were preserved once the ash and gas settled. Also, to prevent the Dantooinian breed from destroying the ecosystem, government officials placed tight restrictions on the plant to control its growth.
Wookiee tree cities were created within large forests of trees. The Wookiees would carve into the bark and make the hollowed trees their homes while branches would serve as thoroughfares between trees. Kachirho and Rwookrrorro were well–known tree cities built into the wroshyr tree.
Description[]
A wroshyr tree was composed of broad leaves, dark wood and high–crowned branches, or branches that simply grew at the top of the tree rather than the entire length. Several other types of wroshyr trees had been bred to grow branches along the entire length of the tree. The tree produced massive amounts of bark which help protect the Wookiee shelters that were carved into the stalk of the tree. The Kashyyyk species was known to have had the largest girth, height and size (size was measured in cubic meters or marketable board length) of any tree species in the known galaxy. The wide branches that were supplemented by the prolific bark production and the sheer age of the trees allowed the Wookiees to fashion them into roadways between trees. Kashyyyk bark was resilient to fire and used the phenomenon to help it regenerate and dispose of weathered bark. Measurements by Wookiee and Republic scientists estimated the average lifespan of a tree to be fifty thousand standard years, although specimen had been known to live up to one hundred thousand.
The Kashyyyk wroshyr trees were rumored to have had split into thousands of different varieties, but due to the Wookiees' secretive and protective nature, the true number and function of the variants was unknown. Two famous examples of wroshyr trees were the albino species found on Dantooine and Sarapin; their lack of chlorophyll production stunted their growth and lifespan. The trees grew a fraction of their potential height due to the effort it took for the organism to survive. They routinely had to leech nutrients from neighboring flora and thrive next to large water sources. These trees hardly lived to reach one hundred years old or a kilometer in height.
Habitat[]
A portion of the wroshyr forest on Kashyyyk.
The mainline species was initially observed to flourish in the hard soil and dry regions of Kashyyyk's mainlands. The tallest recorded specimen thrived in the large forests that populated the planet's landmasses. At the same time, the trees were less dense and significantly shorter along the beaches and steep mountainous islands of Kashyyyk. It was hypothesized that the trees preferred sparse rainfall and hard soil so its roots would not be in danger of sinking deeper into the soil due to its sheer weight and away from plentiful nutrients that comprise the near–surface. Aside from the size and population differences associated with the coast lands and islands, the tree was considered a relatively lax species since it was seen throughout Kashyyyk and Alaris Prime except around the poles where the coldest and harshest climate resided.
Upon the arrival of Revan, the redeemed Jedi, researchers caught wind of an ancient technology buried deep within the Shadowlands, the dimly–lit forest floor of Kashyyyk. With a large contingent of Wookiee and Republic warriors, the researchers were able to locate and study the ancient technology. Noted as Rakatan in origin, the hologram it contained revealed that the Rakata planted the tree in order to terraform the planet in a similar fashion to Tatooine. However, like the desert world, the plan failed due to the collapse of the Infinite Empire. Neglecting to turn off the the terraforming equipment, the flora native to Kashyyyk grew exponentially and resulted in the famed wroshyr tree.
History[]
The wroshy tree was native to the planet Kashyyyk. Prior to the establishment of the Republic, the ruling power of the day—the Infinite Empire—created terraforming technology to alter entire planets. The Rakata placed the machinery required to change the environment on several worlds, Kashyyyk among them. The Force–run equipment mutated the flora of the world by manufacturing growth hormones and releasing it into the air for the plants to absorb. The result was an exponential increase in plant growth rate and size: wroshyrs grew to dominate the landscape due to their development as trees. They absorbed nutrients from other plants and killed their competition by preventing any sunlight for reaching them, thus cutting off the photosynthetic chemical reaction. As the dominant lifeform on Kashyyyk, they altered the course of evolution on the planet and facilitated the rise of the Wookiee species. Meanwhile, normalized versions of the wroshyr tree grew on Alaris Prime—now a moon orbiting Alaris—Sarapin and Dantooine.
Several millennia later, Kashyyyk and its sister planets were discovered thanks to the errant hyperjump of a Galactic Republic starship. The ship crash–landed in the forests and was discovered by the Wookiee chieftain Bacca. Follow up expeditions to investigate the distress call led stunned rescuers to discover the mutated flora that they thought grew to a mere kilometer or less. With the friendship and cooperation of the native sentient species, the Republic brought in scientists to study the as yet unknown phenomenon behind the massive growth of the trees intending to unlock its secrets for agriculture. Over the course of their studies they discovered evidence that suggested that Kashyyyk was the origin of the tree due to petrified remains of an ancient wroshyr forest and amassed data that included information about the tree's ideal climate, precipitation levels and terrain.
Near the end of their centuries long study of the wroshyr tree to understand its great size, a Wookiee–Republic expedition into the Shadowlands unveiled the secret behind the unique trees of the planet. Rakatan Force–operated technology had mutated the trees to grow well beyond their natural capacity and thus accounted for its properties. Thereafter, no other Republic studies or expeditions that focused solely on the flora was undertaken again.
Around the same time as the expeditions to Kashyyyk, the Sarapin breed became extinct. An extinction event on the planet eradicated all life. The planet was consumed by lava floes, ash and noxious gases. To prevent the Dantooinian breed from destroying its ecosystem, government protocol strictly controlled proliferation of the plant.
Cultivation and uses[]
The wood inside the wroshyr trunk and branches was considered extremely valuable and sought after because of its resilience, versatility and dark wood beauty. Among its many applications, the tree was harvested for general timber use, building material, furniture, textiles, weapons, utensils and decorative items. Sap and leaves had medicinal properties and were used—in distilled form—for beverages, oils, chemicals and fuel. Syrup was taken for pancakes.
The wroshyr was famously naturalized on Dantooine and Sarapin, the latter of which contained only petrified examples. After the discovery of Rakatan technology on Kashyyyk, it was assumed that they were responsible for the successful cultivation of the wroshyr there. The tree was classified as an invasive species on Dantooine and was carefully controlled on the agricultural world.
Reproduction[]
Wroshyr trees reproduced by spreading seeds. Typical wroshyr seeds were a meter in length and conical in shape. The thick shell prevented predators from cracking open and eating the edible inside. The successful planting of a seed was low for a tree, usually in the ten percentile. Wookiees utilized the failed seeds by cracking them open and using the shell for armor. The heavy weight of the seed prevented it from falling far from the parent tree and may had played a role in the low success rate. Wroshyr's reached sexual maturity around thirty years.
Symbolism and tourism[]
Bacca's tree carving.
The wroshyr tree held great symbolism and religious value for the Wookiees. The tendency for the branches of separate trees to meld and intertwine, which contributed to the wide thoroughfares, was symbolic of the Wookiee belief that nature was united and symbiotic. The tree was also a symbol of protection and nutriment.
The forests of Kashyyyk were the most popular tourist attraction in the Mytaranor sector, they brought the planet a stream of income that was only second to their wood export industry. A carving of Bacca, a Wookiee that was widely considered the species' greatest leader and the forebearer of the Bacca lineage and name, was made into one of Kashyyyk's tallest wroshyr trees and became one of Kashyyyk's top tourist attractions.
Behind the scenes[]
Wroshyr tree was created by I'm the Chosen One and is based on the canon Star Wars article of the same name. The tree borrows elements from the fictional wroshyr tree while incorporating other elements from some of the tallest real–world trees such as the California Redwood, Sequoiadendron, Douglas–fir, the Coast Douglas–fir and the Western Redcedar, among others. The article was voted "Best Miscellaneous" article in the Seventh Wiki Awards