Lazarus Thermoshrub
When several species of plort colonized the Kylmetstan Belt, the local polyphs in the genus Arctata were pushed out. Already vulnerable due to infestations of microbes, this lineage rapidly declined. Arctata ebonensis was able to survive because it was more specialized for living in the coldest parts of Zone A. The surviving populations were small and fragmented, which meant the species of Boreolenta that infected them declined. These last populations of A. ebonensis evolved into a new species that further specialized for living within the cold tundra of the north.
4 feet tall
The Lazarus Thermoshrub (Arctata borealis) is shorter because being larger meant they needed more nutrients, the species grows slowly. To obtain as much water and nutrients as possible, the root system is wider and branches much more, with root systems often being over 10 feet across, even if they only go down about 2 feet at most. The black leaves of the Lazarus Thermoshrub capture as much light as they can for energy, but it actually produces less heat overall. Instead it more often uses sugars and anti-freeze proteins to protect itself from the cold, especially when not producing hear. During the warmer summer months, it only produces enough heat to melt the snow and ice for usable water, though it will warm up dramatically to kill off parasites. Changing between temperatures so frequently did impact the Lazarus Thermoshrub's metabolic functions, but this was dealt with by having a greater variety of enzymes that function at different temperatures.
During arctic winter the Lazarus Thermoshrub begins warming up significantly. Building up energy reserves during the summer, it now converts this into heat to keep warm and insulated during the cold winter. Growing in groves increase survival rates due to sharing heat production, those growing alone have reduce sruvival due to increased energy use. If they use up all their energy reserves during the night they begin to cool. Lazarus Thermoshrubs rapidly slows their metabolism to use as little energy as possible and conserve what little heat they have left. When arctic winter ends and temperatures rise, the Lazarus Thermoshrub grows stalks from some of their branches that sprout black flowers. These flowers will release pollen that gets carried by the wind until it lands on the flower of another individual where it then germinates and begins to develop into a new individual. After about 2 months, these stalks will have outlived their use and proceed to wither and die.
While the Lazarus Thermoshrub is particularly abundant in the northern parts of Zone A, since there is no competition present there, the polyph does also grow in the southern parts of the zone all the way into the Kylmetstan Belt. In this area, the Lazarus Thermoshrub has to share space with other species of polyphs, with the two species of plort being problematic as they create shade. Because of this, the Lazarus Thermoshrub is an uncommon site in the Kylmetstan Belt, often being isolated within the plort forests compared to the abundant groves of Lazarus Thermoshrub up north.