Due to the low declination of the sun, there can be a lot of variation in climate in a small area: The back side of mountains, for instance, will never see sunlight and thus be quite cold and icy, while the front sides are almost always exposed to the sun. This means that the flora is also quite varied.

Just as on Earth, plants face the sun, which means that they grow sidewards on the cloud plain’s islands. Trees are thus rather asymmetrical, having little to no leaf growth on the back side, while extending their branches towards the sun. Roots are more prominent on the sun side too, to stabilize the tree.

Overall, the Llof’s flora is probably one of the most neglected parts of my conworld though…

Cloud Fungus

Though technically not a plant, I will use this section here to describe Cloud Fungus (also called Solid Cloud), one of the most important organisms in the Llof’s ecosystem. Cloud Fungus grows in areas with extremely high air humidity, such as areas that are permanently clouded, where it will eventually coat everything with its white, shroomy mass. It does not need a solid base (such as soil) to grow on – given the right level of humidity, its spores can start growing mid-air, eventually being dragged down by gravity. On the Llof, the Cloud Fungi commonly gather on the clouded zero-gravity plain, where they form thick carpets of what looks like “Solid Cloud”! When the Cloud Fungus layer is concentrated enough, it is even possible to walk on it. This is why it can be possible to walk the entire way from the Asiulvesacam to the Cloud Palace by foot.

As mentioned before, Cloud Fungus requires high levels of humidity, but not too high. When it is submerged in water, as in Cloud Wells, it will eventually die off. Likewise, Cloud Fungus buried beneath more Cloud Fungus will also die because it is not sufficiently humid. Dead Cloud Fungus “petrifies”, turning into a hard, stone-like matter. This is how the Cloud Palace, a huge Cumulonimbus-shaped rock, came to be.