Mykket

The small berries that grow on the tree rapidly increase in size as they ripen. They ultimately burst upon reaching full size, and are afterward either eaten or germinated directly. The most common scenario is that some creature eats fruit prior to full ripening, and the seeds are discarded and fertilized by the animal's waste. The plant counts on being ingested in order to reproduce, as it utilizes the nutrients and enzymes in animal waste to germinate.

The myth is that the berries will continue to grow even after ingestion, and will eventually burst the eater's stomach. While the seeds' husks are resistant to stomach acid, they don't remain in the stomach, instead moving harmlessly through the creature's bowels. If the fruit is eaten before bursting, the seed husks are intact, and will remain dormant until germination is complete. However, if the seeds are ingested after bursting, they will be dissolved in the stomach.

The idea first came to be after some nondescript Drow individual observed an animal eating the fruit, later finding it to have died and burst open. In reality, the corpse's having burst was only due to the common process of decomposition without another creature consuming the deceased material before the internal pressure and heat caused the body to explode. The Drow had only recently emerged from the Subterranean Pools at the time, and didn't know much about the landscape or natural environment, so many were anxious and eager to believe that the fruit was poisonous.