The baja tickler (Na'vi name: txumtsä'wll meaning "poison-squirting plant"), also known as the flaska reclinata, is a unique large plant on Pandora.
The interior of the plant
It has been described as something like a large hollow tree that grows at an incline. A cluster of large spiny leaves adorns the top, and large roots extend out from the underside of the stem, growing into the soil and helping to anchor and prop up the plant. The surface is rough and green due to a dense covering of small mosslike plants that can withstand high temperatures and harsh conditions.
The baja tickler is one of the most important plants on Pandora, but is also one of the most dangerous. It plays an important role on the moon by helping to detoxify the atmosphere. Toxic gases (mostly volcanic in origin) are absorbed into the plant body, where they dissolve into a pool of watery liquid that accumulates inside. This primeval 'soup' periodically builds up pressure and temperature and is squirted explosively in a toxic plume from the top of the plant. The Na'vi recognize both the value and potential danger of the plant and mainly avoid it.
At some point, the baja tickler population of Pandora was negatively impacted, limiting the ability of some plants to hold toxic gases. In Pandora's future, offworld visitors from Earth are encouraged to join in conservation efforts to protect and regrow the plants by touching them. When the damaged plants are touched enough by multiple people, they release a seed filled mist.
Source[]
- James Cameron's Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide pg 116
- Visit Pandora Twitter
- Inside the Magic preview of Pandora: The World of Avatar
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