Author Notes - Surprise! We're doing a plant-based family this time! Well, actually, it isn't a plant if we're speaking taxonomically. One look at which kingdom this family belongs in should explain that. Of course, it's still a plant in most definitions of the word, so the format is quite different for this one. This 'document' may be mostly about animals, but the Candypop Buds were too interesting to ignore!
CANDYPOP FAMILY
Kingdom: Pikmilia (1)
Phylum: Onionia
Class: Plantelia
Order: Candai
EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES
The name made me think they tasted like candy. I can confirm… oh goodness, do they not. Maybe I should read Louie's recipes before I almost burn a hole through my own stomach. Seriously, the name is so misleading. The only one remoting edible is the Violet one, and that's mostly just because of the oil it produces.
What's kinda neat, though, is that the pink and grey variants of this family were not named by the Koppai expedition group who first discovered them. Which means… it's a free-for-all when it comes to naming it! And guess what? I GOT FIRST DIBS! ... Okay, actually, Brittany really helped me out when researching this one. Plants are her area of expertise after all, seeing as I'm more of a zoologist while she's a botanist. We had to flip a coin to see which one we got to name, and I ended up winning the grey one. WOOHOO!
OH, and of course we're dealing with a plant today. I know that's a little weird, but some of these plants are closely related to Pikmin and are very much worth talking about. I needed Brittany's help a LOT with this one, so make sure to give her some credit too. This ALSO means I'll have to change my format a bit, since I don't think flowers do any child rearing. I mean, maybe they do. I wouldn't know. I'm a zoologist, not a botanist!
(Also I think I might have a crush on Brittany now. Don't tell her. Please. Wait... she might be reading this. ... Oh, whatever.)
PHYSICAL APPEARANCES
All known members of this family resemble five-petalled flowers big enough for a Koppai to sit in the middle of them if they so desire, approximately 5cm across. Depending on location, the exact appearance of the Candypop Bud may change slightly. Those in the areas discovered by Olimar have more simplistic designs, with light-coloured nubs at the end of their petals and a simple green pistil in the middle. Those found in areas discovered later, however, have the light-coloured nubs travel all the way down the petal to the roots, and the simple green pistil is instead bucket-shaped with a red rim, making it resemble a target.
The only difference between each variant of Candypop Bud is the colour, and they come in many of them: Flora rufusia (Crimson), Flora aurumia (Golden), Flora cobaltium (Lapis Lazuli), Flora puniceus (Violet), Flora niveus (Ivory), Flora fucianium (Rose), and Flora pewtiues (Slate). Each colour matches up with a known member of the Pikmin family, with many - including yours truly - believing that this is not a coincidence and in fact is a sign of a greater connection.
Flora regina (Queen Candypop Bud) is a notable exception. It resembles an Ivory Candypop Bud, but with a major difference: its petals are covered by several big spots, which change colour every couple of seconds. It cycles through red, yellow, and blue, always sticking to that order and never changing. Regardless of the variant, the petals will have a rather 'fleshy' feel to them, thanks to muscle fibres.
LOCATIONS
Candypop Buds can be found all over PNF-404, from the frigid Distant Tundra to the hot and wet Tropical Wilds to even deep underground. They are capable of growing on just about every surface, everything from dirt, to grass, to rock, to tiles, to wood, to even metal. All colours have demonstrated this wide variety of locations, though Queen Candypop buds have only ever been found deep underground.
The surrounding terrain appears to play a major role in what colours grow where. They are typically seen near 'hazards' that would require Pikmin of that particular colour to deal with them. Crimson Buds, for instance, grow in areas where fire is abundant. Golden Buds are rare, even in their specific locations, but are almost always found near high levels of electricity. Lapis Lazuli Buds often grow around big or multiple pools of water. Ivory, rarely seen above ground, is capable of flourishing in highly toxic or poisonous areas.
The other Buds aren't quite as clear. Slate Buds are rare, but often found around crystalised walls or creatures and appear to grow in soil with crystal shards in it. Rose Buds are also quite rare, but appear to grow in areas with high levels of activity and danger which could be easily avoided with the power of flight. Queen Buds, too, usually grow in caves that pose great danger to Pikmin of all types.
Violet Buds appear to be the one exception, for there is no hazard (2) that Purple Pikmin could be considered immune to (see 'Pikmin'). Instead, it appears to grow if there are no hazards around to 'manipulate' what colour it becomes, or in areas with particularly strong and powerful enemies.
This connection between colours and 'hazards' is no coincidence, for Buds grown in captivity can have their colours easily manipulated by concentrating the hazards. For instance, if a gardener wants mostly Crimson Buds, they can (albeit very carefully) set up artificial fire geysers in their greenhouse. Due to the unique properties of the Candypop Bud family (see the section below), this is most likely an evolutionary trait to ensure that they can create the most appropriate Pikmin type for the job.
ODD BIOLOGY
The key thing about the Candypop family that makes it noteworthy enough to be included in a document otherwise exclusively about members of the Animal Kingdom is a trait seemingly unique to it. If a Pikmin is thrown into it, seemingly the same Pikmin will pop out of it and be planted in the ground. The major point of note is that, of course, the colour of the Pikmin that pops out will match the colour of the Bud, regardless of what colour is thrown in. For instance, if a Blue Pikmin is thrown into a Violet Bud, it will always become a Purple Pikmin.
The Queen Candypop Bud does something similar, but on a grander scale. When it changes colour, the Pikmin that pop out will match that colour. This means that it can create Pikmin of all three of the original colours, compared to regular Buds that can only create one. Even more impressively, it will always create more Pikmin than were thrown in, making up to eight new Pikmin plus the original one that was thrown in.
These flowers cannot be used repeatedly, however. Once they are used too much, they wither away back into the ground. Captain Olimar noted that the Buds could originally convert up to 50 Pikmin before withering, until his second visit where they - from then on - could only produce a mere 5 before withering. This appears to be due to their highly increased numbers over this time, leading to the possibility that they sacrificed the ability to change so many Pikmin in favour of much higher numbers.
This, of course, still raises the question as to how it is capable of changing Pikmin colours so well, and why it withers after a certain number of changes to begin with. A planet this strange is near impossible to get definite answers for, but this is what I could gather in the weeks of researching this family.
It appears that Candypop Buds are primitive Pikmin Onions, capable of creating Pikmin seeds with sustenance but incapable of storing Pikmin or moving from its spot. When a Pikmin is thrown into a Coloured Bud, it is not 'changed' into the new type but instead absorbed into the Bud. It is broken down into basic sustenance just like pellets and carrion being lifted into the Pikmin Onions, which is then 'converted' into a brand-new Pikmin. In other words, any Pikmin thrown in is harvested to create another.
Since Buds are rather primitive Onions, they cannot repeat this process too much or they all expend all their energy and wither away. The 'conversion' is not simple, as it requires changing a Pikmin's genetic make-up considerably to turn them into a different species. If a Pikmin of the same colour is thrown in, it doesn't need to 'convert' the basic make-up of the Pikmin into a different type, so this does not add to the 'count' as it were.
Queen Candypop Buds are much stronger than their single-pigmented counterparts. They are capable of not just turning the single Pikmin thrown in into a different type, but can create up to eight other Pikmin too, as previously stated. This will never exceed the 100 Pikmin limit, i.e. if there are 100 Pikmin on the field, only one Pikmin will pop out, and if there's more than 92 on the field, it will only make enough Pikmin to hit the 100 limit exactly. The action of creating up to eight new Pikmin will always result in it wilting after one Pikmin is thrown in.
Their roots remain, however, and they can regrow completely overnight. Due to the strong magnetic field messing with how time works underground (yes, really), Buds underground can seemingly regrow in the minutes it takes to leave a cave and return.
REPRODUCTION
While Candypop Buds are capable of regenerating a seemingly infinite number of times, the methods of which they grow to begin with are not entirely clear. The Buds themselves do not produce their own pollen or anything of the sort, meaning they rely entirely on Pikmin. If a Pikmin can survive in a flowered state for a long period of time, it will perish naturally and begin to grow into a Bud. The colour of the Pikmin does not matter, for it will adjust to the surrounding hazards regardless. Of course, though this period of time is only a few months, a Pikmin will hardly ever retain its flower or even survive long enough to become a Bud.
This may not be the design flaw it appears to be, as this prevents the Candypop buds from overpopulating. Their method of gaining nutrients is to absorb it from the fertile soil and/or animal corpses nearby, akin to fungi, and this could easily destroy entire ecosystems if not kept in check.
The points at the ends of their petals do in fact contain seeds, but as the flower produces no pollen these seeds will not typically be fertilised. They can, however, be cultivated in captivity through a process that can best be described as 'artificial pollination'. It appears that these seeds are from an early stage of evolution when the Buds could produce their own pollen, though the seeds were not lost when a new reproduction method was created.
OTHER NOTES
Pikmin always seem incredibly eager to be thrown inside these Buds, despite the fact that they will die so the Bud can use its 'material' to make an entirely new Pikmin. Seeing as Buds grow in areas loaded with 'hazards' that particular type of Pikmin can easily deal with, it appears to be an evolutionary trait. Even though the Pikmin will die whether it is thrown into a Bud or left to deal with a 'hazard' it cannot handle, the Bud allows it to be 'replaced' with a Pikmin that can handle the 'hazard' and thus would theoretically result in no net loss of Pikmin numbers.
Candypop Buds are quite difficult to uproot and plant somewhere else, and are best regrown from artificially-pollinated seeds. If one does wish to replant a Bud, one must remove the entire plant, roots and all. This is because they will wither away in seconds if disconnected from the root. Once uprooted, they can thrive just about anywhere they are planted, making them suitable for any garden. Their lack of pollen also makes them suitable for those suffering from allergies. However, the flowers grow to be absolutely massive, and so aren't suited for small gardens. (3)
NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS
Coloured Candypop Bud -
Brittany tells me that flowers are typically bright to attract animals, and it's definitely the case for this one. The Pikmin seem so excited to be thrown inside! But why? Is it an evolutionary thing? I'd ask Brittany, but apparently Pikmin are for zoologists, not botanists. They're like animal/plant hybrids though, so shouldn't that be... zoobotanologist? ... Wait, that's dumb. Forget I said anything! - Alph
Finally, something on this planet that's in MY area of expertise. I've seen a lot of interesting plants in my time, but these buds take the cake! Beautiful AND capable of things no other plant can do? I could research them for days! - Brittany, who did in fact research them for days
Typically, different soldiers are good for different things. This is a fact of life. But with the use of these flowers, Pikmin can change their strengths and weaknesses in the blink of an eye! If only it were that easy for us Koppaites... - Captain Charlie
Queen Candypop Bud -
This flower can create up to eight new Pikmin from just a single sprout, and of three different colours too! It's more impressive engineering than I could ever manage in a lifetime. I should feel upset, but I'm too busy being amazed. - Alph
I think this flower rather suits me. 'Queen', anyone? Not to mention that lovely changing colour. But it takes very little and gives a lot in return, which… yeah, I can't say that really applies to me. - Brittany
Only a flower like this could possibly suit Brittany. I wanted to pluck one so I could give it to her, but the darn thing is so stubborn! It took about an hour, but I managed to get it out. Only for it to wilt away as soon as it left the ground. I think the world is trying to tell me something... - Captain Charlie (Emily's Notes - She ain't interested. Move on, dude.)
(1) As Pikmin cannot be considered either animal or plant, it becomes evident that classifying them into either Kingdom becomes impossible. Due to arguments from both sides, it has been decided to put Pikmin and anything related to them into their own separate Kingdom. Members of the Pikmilia Kingdom are classified as such due to exhibiting traits belonging both to plants and animals.
(2) Of course, many consider Purple Pikmin to be immune to strong gusts of winds, but as this 'hazard' cannot directly kill Pikmin, it is not considered a 'true hazard'.
(3) This particular paragraph of the report was written not by zoologist Emily, but instead botanist Brittany.
Author Notes - My favourite part of this entire chapter was being able to reveal that the Candypop Buds are not only related to the Onions, but are in fact in the same kingdom as Pikmin. My second-favourite part is the whole 'they grow near their respective hazard' thing. After all, in Pikmin 2 that's where you typically find them. I mean, why would they put Crimson Buds in sublevels with no fire but a lot of water? Definitely just a gameplay thing, but why not do something with it?
Can I just point out that the game's explanation of the sublevels, that 'a geomagnetic radiation field underground must have warped the space-time continuum' sounds like something straight outta Futurama?
Next time, we're... dealing with another plant? I could've sworn that this was... OH GOODNESS, IT'S AN ANIMAL!
