Ficus tenebrosa — The Barrow Tree

 

Scientific Classification

Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Phytonecrotica
Phylum: Tenebrophyta
Class: Obscuriflorae
Order: Necrosales
Family: Morasanguinae
Genus: Ficus (subgenus Barroficus)
Species: Ficus tenebrosa

Common names

Gravewood Fig
City-Strangler
Fleshroot Banyan
Fig of the abyss

 

Origin / Ancestry

Based upon genetic testing, the Barrow tree is a Dark-corrupted offshoot of the Fiscus aurea or the Florida Strangler Fig. It retains the fig’s epiphytic and parasitic growth tendencies but expresses radical morphological divergence due to prolonged exposure to Dark energy. The ancestral plant’s genetic structure has fused with residual nanostructures allowing it to far exceed the previous size limitations. The Dark manifestations present in the single known sample are psychic in nature taking on the memories of the dead that the plant has consumed. It also appears to be responsive to emotion and sound which are likely also a result from the Dark exposure. It is unclear if the necrotrophic metabolism is simply a byproduct of the plant's evolution or a direct result of the Dark exposure.

 

Geographic Distribution

Native to the post-Fall northeastern territories of former North America, Ficus tenebrosa appears exclusively in regions of mass death and structural decay — derelict cities, and grave complexes. But this is largely hypothetical as there is limited data due to the lack of observed specimens.

Known specimens:

• OAK-01: Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, NY (discovered 107 SE)

• MSH-03: New York City Marble Cemetery, New York, NY (reported 110 SE, but site not confirmed)

• PHI-02: Dr. Ethel D. Allen School (extending into Mount Peace Cemetery) Philadelphia, PA (reported 112 SE, but site not confirmed)

 

 

Uses, Byproducts & Exploitation

The Wake Chemists have found purposes for the Barrow Tree, collecting its many parting and weaving it into their practice. The following information has been taken from notes written by Wake Chemists and has not been verified.

Eulessence (Dark Sap)

Harvested at the dawn hours when the bark bleeds.
Distillation yields a viscous black-gold serum — Eulessence, a fluid memory lattice. When introduced into the bloodstream, it aligns neurons to the Barrow’s collective field. I have remembered things no human could: wars beneath the soil, prayers in languages that never existed.
Application: Memory grafting, identity synthesis, spirit-channeling.
Warning: Repeated exposure leads to shared cognition. “I” becomes “We.”

Mournspore Gas

The fruit pods exhale a pale vapor when they rot. We learned to bottle it — Mournspore — to weaponize emotion itself. A single vial, shattered, can drown a room in unbearable nostalgia. We used it once on zealots from the Church of Hope. They wept for hours, confessing crimes they’d never committed.
Application: Induced empathy, emotional collapse, controlled penance.
Caution: Overexposure causes neural scarring; subjects lose capacity for joy.

Oblivion Resin

The hardened secretion from wounds in the trunk. When ground and mixed with etheric binders, it forms an ink that remembers what it writes. The letters hum faintly when read by their author.
Application: Psycho-reactive tattoos, memory sigils, thought storage media.
Note: My arm still whispers equations long after I burned the mark away.

Hollow Core Extract

The heart of the Barrow — a fluid so dense with consciousness it bends instruments of measurement. We call it the Hollow Extract. It is the nearest I have come to touching godhood. When ingested, one perceives all possible futures simultaneously. For a heartbeat, I was the Dark.
Application: Prophetic trance, temporal modeling, self-annihilation therapy.
Risk: Death by enlightenment.

 

Legal Status

• Conservation Status: Unprotected / Prohibited

Due to its necrotrophic and potentially infectious properties, cultivation or transport of Barrow Tree material is forbidden under Camp Hope Ordinance 22-B (“Containment of Dark Flora”).

Historically, there have been three attempts to kill the roots of the Barrow Tree, but these attempts have proven ineffective largely due to the the tree’s regenerative bark. Aggressive pruning was the first attempt. A large portion of the cemetery was cleared of the root, but within a few years the roots had fully restored themselves. The second attempt was made a few years after that with fire and that proved to be completely ineffective. The tree appears to have self-cooling sap. The last attempt was with salting the earth and this also had no apparent effect on the plant's health. However, these attempts are now within in the memory of the tree and the plant sometimes sends images of these events as psychic projections.

Sensory / Extrasensory Capabilities

The Barrow Tree responds to sound and emotion, quivering in reaction to speech or proximity. The tree emits low-frequency vibrations that cause disorientation and auditory hallucinations in nearby observers. It is believed to perceive emotional states via Dark resonance fields, effectively hearing grief. Some reports indicate synchronized pulse rhythms between the tree and human subjects.

General Notes

It is important to note that much is not known about this tree. Only the basics of its anatomy as drawn by Dr. Mara Ellison. Nothing is known about its reproduction, but it is assumed that the pods are for this purpose. Likewise, the grow rates and stages are largely unknown. It has been observed to undergo periods of rapid growth, but then also go prolonged periods without any apparent growth. Based on the single observed plant and the locations of the two reported plants, it is believed that it prefers ruined urban biomes and burial environments. Its roots metabolize calcium, iron, and organic carbon simultaneously, allowing it to digest both bodies and infrastructure. Its sensory abilities may be a form of carnivorous adaptation as it is believed that Dr. Mara Ellison herself was consumed by OAK-01.