Cable fruit

Cable fruit are the fruit of the cable tree, a virid plant which flourishes near water, both fresh and salt. They bear a large ball-like fruit with a tough leathery skin. Cable fruit are buoyant, and therefore allow the plant to spread across large distances.

The fruit consist of a leathery outer skin, a nutrient-rich layer of the fruiting body, and a centre consisting of tightly packed fibres. These grow inside the fruit so that when the skin finally bursts open, the sticky fibres can cling on to a nearby surface, enabling the plant to establish itself. Cable trees can be found growing in a wide variety of environments, their bases often encompassing rocks or logs, with roots burrowing into the ground on either side.

Cable trees are so called because the tough sticky root fibres inside are ideal for weaving into a tough rope, used for a multiplicity of purposes including furniture and as mooring cables for ships. The fibre is not suitable for ordinary rope since it is too thick and inflexible for everyday use.

Cable trees are found along coasts and waterways throughout Anásthias, and are cultivated in some areas.