J. R. R. Tolkien passed history for being able to invent a whole fantasy world with many landscapes, fictional races, animals and even plants. The latter may be the most subtle. At best, we focus on Ents, more than anything, because they are talking trees. But if we focus on what is just vegetation, we leave it as part of the landscape. However, in Rings of Power it is inevitable not to see beauty golden and silver trees that shine in the forests of the elven lands. own Galadriel he talks about them, mentioning how he misses his land. But are these trees really fiction?
Boat soon, the answer is simple. There are no trees that have golden and silver leaves. However, in real life we find some plants and mushrooms which together can have an appearance similar to the trees we see in Rings of Power.
In fact, Tolkien relied on some real trees for his description. your own flora. He introduced quite a bit of fiction to embellish them, but that’s the base we’ll have to start with in order to get a tree like the one the elves love so much.
Trees from “Ring of Power” in real life
One of the most talked about trees in Tolkien’s novels is the mallorn. grows only in Aman, Numenor and Lorien, although there are similar ones in other cities inhabited by elves. It is usually characterized the glitter of its gold and silver leaves. But there is a real tree with which it has a certain resemblance: you have them
In fact, although its larger, elongated leaves do not fall in winter, Tolkien is believed to have used beeches to create the mallorn. Now we can’t make big comparisons other than his smooth gray bark, stem shape and leaf distribution. Plus, it glows in the dark. And it’s not so easy to find in real life. Although this is also not impossible.
In the second chapter Rings of Powerin conversation between Elrond and Prince Durin, the elf is surprised to see that the dwarf has planted the seeds he gave him. The prince’s wife, Disa, says she loves the tree almost like her children, and both say they didn’t expect it to grow into a place as dark as the mines. It not only grows, but also strongly illuminates the room.
In real life, this is not something that is usually found in trees, but is found in some of the fungi that inhabit them. These are mushrooms capable of emit bioluminescencepossibly as a mechanism to attract the insects responsible for the spread of spores.
A good example of this is ghost mushroom (Omphaloth nidiformis). It usually grows in Australia and the island of Tasmania, where it usually breeds on dead trees. At night, it emits a blue-green boluminescence, although it is so weak that it is only visible in complete darkness and after the eyes have become accustomed to it.
But you don’t have to go that far to see trees covered in bioluminescent mushrooms. In Mediterranean regions we have olive mushroom (Omphaloth olearius). It is characterized by its big orange hat, and although thought to only grow on olive trees, it has also been observed on other trees such as beeches themselves. Thus, a beech covered in these mushrooms could be a good example of a tree that may have inspired Tolkien.
Can these plants grow in total darkness?
All trees photosynthesize, so they need sunlight survive. Therefore, growing up in the mine, as in Rings of Power, yes, it would be something typical only for fiction. However, it is true that there are some species that are easier to grow in shady places.
Among them, curiously, there are some beech trees such as american beech (Fagus large-leaved), which can perfectly live in places where direct sunlight does not fall on it. Thus, it seems quite obvious that if we were looking for a real tree that could replace those that appear in Tolkien’s stories, then beeches would be great candidates. Yes, with good mushroom cover. Another thing is gold and silver, but this is what fantasy has. You can play to find comparisons in real life without thinking they don’t make sense. If that were the case, perhaps it would be more logical to talk about costume novels.
Source: Hiper Textual
