Qmotmai

Qmotmai is a species of bamboo-like plant native to the temporary rivers and lakes of Pùkat. There are a eleven species of Qmotmai, growing in different lakes, rivers, river systems and lake systems across the swampy regions. The commonest or most domesticated ones are Qmota solthrai, Qmota kivitrai and Qmota viarutrai.

Qmota solthrai, or Central River Qmotmai, is the tallest and sturdiest, growing up to ten feet tall and six or seven inches wide. It produces sturdy but rough brown fabrics and few tubers to replant with, but is most productive from each tuber,

Qmota kivitrai, or Southern Lake Qmotmai, is the thinnest but easiest to grow, growing only around 5 feet tall and 3 or 4 inches wide, but producing abundant tubers. The plants produce deep purple fabric.

Qmota viarutrai, or Western Qmotmai, is the most naturally abundant. It tends to grow around seven feet tall and five inches wide, with the insides being incredibly easy to turn into very high quality fabric compared to other Qmotmai. The tubers it produces are small but plentiful, needing an overall longer time to harvest but being more abundant. Still, it is the least productive, but the most sought after.

In general, Qmotmai are species of highly specialized tuber plants that look very similar to bamboo. They reproduce by producing flowers near the water at the end of the wet season. As the temporary lakes and rivers they inhabit dry up, the fish living within them tend to migrate to deeper waters. When fish migrations begin, the fruit rapidly ripens and grows to be submerged in water, with the fruit stem lengthening as the water level decreases. Depending on the species, they may wave in the river water to look like prey or use attractants to attract herbivorous animals. Sticking inside the animal's stomach for a long time, up to a week, the seeds are deposited far away by migratory animals, usually then floating on the water's surface until they find a suitable place to grow. Growth is rapid, and by the end of the season, the bamboo should be fully grown with a stable tuber to support future growth and support growth of more bamboo shoots. As water level starts increasing, the plant produces fruit again, this time looking for fish migrating back. Different species can produce flowers in only the wet season or only the dry season, but the majority do both. Some species do not spread by animals and/or have insignificant tubers, and instead spread by releasing seeds to float down river.

The interesting thing about Qmotmai is their ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. Underneath each leaf node lies a blob, or jelly, called a Module. Each Module is black in colour and full of nitrogen fixing microbes given high amounts of nitrogen, no oxygen, and hgih amounts of sugar. Nitrogen is converted into proteins at an incredibly high rate as the microbes in the module are passed through generations through the seed, and therefore fertilization of Qmotmai is limited. The other product of this is that Qmotmai fabric is very high in protein, making it smooth and soft while remaining surprisingly strong.

In relation to the people of Pùkat and Yalhuaca, Qmotmai is incredibly vital for economic growth and for fabric. Bamboo poles are stripped and processed into clothing, producing the mass majority of clothing across the south and in the summer, as well as fancier clothing. Lower grade bamboos, particularly Qmota solthrai, which are very productive but produce coarse fabric, are used more with lower-class peoples clothing, whereas the very finest varieties of Qmota kivitrai which are anthocyanin rich and deep burgundy are used for some royal's clothings. The tubers of most species of Qmota are inedible, and in fact are highly toxic.

When farming Qmotmai, tubers are seperated from the main cluster and planted in water rich soils. In wet season, they can be planted in large swaths of land, where they tend to grow shorter and take longer to fully grow. In dry season, they grow rapidly and tall but must be grown near water and in the wettest regions of the swamps. In many regions, dry season and wet season farms are in totally different parts of the country. Coastal regions and regions fed by man-made rivers are home to the most dry season farms, while wet season farms are in the drier interior regions. A tool called a Muqtma, a huge suction-like tube that allows water to be transported large distances across farms.

Every season, the tubers increase in size and/or number, depending on the species. Some triple in number, like Qmota kivitrai, while some double in number, like Qmota viarutrai, or simply grow in size, like Qmota solthrai. Each tuber has multiple eyes and grows more eyes each year, especially on tubers that grow instead of duplicating.

Toxins in the tuber are known as Tluya. The two toxins are mainly the ion-chamber disturbing chemicals Zyzyne and Alsoptyne, which kill microbes and fungi. The second chemical, is Halphuine. Halphuine causes massive muscle spasms in most creatures except fish and invertebrates. Zyzyne specifically affects invertebrates, causing neurological and muscular spasms and death in many insects and invertebrates.

In general, this is the single biggest source of fabric across the nation.