Quadristirpis carpefolium
Although Quadristirpis aurantiacofolium has remained relatively unchanged due to the lack of competition they faced and had not much need to improvise, a mutation showed up which became beneficial and spread throughout the population. That mutation was that an additional stem grew from the root's original point, both catching sunlight more quickly for growth and causing a "carpeting" effect, insulating the underside of the polyph from cold air that flows above it to keep heat to prevent freezing as easily, helping them stay healthy and living longer to make more seeds. Due to its superficial differences from Quadristirpis aurantiacofolium, it is classified into a new species, Quadristirpis carpefolium.
Like its ancestor, Quadristirpis carpefolium contains a high amount of orange pigments for catching sunlight, which are hardy for the cold and do not fail the polyph in winter. The leaves of this polyph intersect into eachother due to the additional stem growth, and catch nearly all the sunlight which is lit above the polyph. Seed pods containing four (4) seeds grow from branches that are hidden by leaves in the summer and fall off in autumn to be dormant in winter and grow the next year. Leaf canopies may extend down five-to-seven centimeters (5-7 cm) from top to bottom.
Each individual Quadristirpis carpefolium grows up from one of these seeds in the spring, when there is enough sunlight and warmth to grow. They typically reach a height of thirty-five centimeters (35 cm) and mature by the end of the year. The duplicated stem grows in the middle and each other stem grows five centimeters (5 cm) away from that stem. They start producing seeds the next year and may live up to a few decades on average, the main causes of death by being uprooted and by being trampled by external forces, such as rocks falling and snapping stems.
Seeds of this species do not carry as many nutrients as the seeds of their ancestor, as the extra stem grows before the others and helps to collect energy from sunlight to boost the growth of the rest of the root system, and so that they can be formed more cost-efficiently. Seeds from underneath the polyph may be moved around by creatures scuttling underneath for protection from the wind such as the occasional baby Antarctic Roomba (Capilliarmus antarctipoda).
