History
Arbor Masters
The Flora colossi are tree like beings from Planet X, the capital of the branch worlds. They were all created, alongside other species like the Whitecaps, by the Elder of the Universe known as the Gardener who seeded many worlds with life using the Time Stone. The Gardener intended for the Flora colossi to be the protectors of the five branch worlds while the Whitecaps would pollinate those worlds. However, when those worlds' canopies would inevitably die out, a Grootfall would rise to raze the worlds and reform the soil for new life to be formed.[3]
The Flora colossus were ruled over by the "Arbor Masters" who teach the children of the species with "Photonic Knowledge," which is the accumulated knowledge of the generations of the Arbor Masters, which is absorbed through photosynthesis; this is a highly advanced education, making the Flora Colossi geniuses. Planet X's biome is managed by the "Maintenance Mammals", a type of small squirrel-like beings.[4]
A Leviathon, which would be known to the Flora colossi as Furnax, arrived to Planet X and burned 80,000 square kilometers of forest and everything inside it in a single night, shoving anything that couldn't run away into its own body to use as fuel. The surviving Flora colossi surveyed the damage, and some were left traumatized, which included Groot.[5]
A Flora colossus was among the monsters inhabiting the Monster Isle when Magik and Shadowcat went there to rescue Bo.[6]
All Flora colossi eventually perished as part of the cycle induced by the Gardener, leaving only Granopy and Groot as the last living members. Groot upon learning of his people's fate, rushed to the dying matriarch, only for her to transform him into Grootfall.[7] Grootfall went to consume numerous worlds, and with the assistance of the Guardians of the Galaxy, bloomed to revive the life in those planets, presumably including the Flora colossi.[8]
Alternate Reality Versions[]
2017s Marvel Animated Universe (Earth-17628)[]
The homeworld of the Flora colossus was invaded by Ronan the Accuser, wiping out most of the native species. Groot was the last of his kind once Ronan's army had erased the Flora colossus, however Groot was able to save the World Pod within himself, which he could use to recreate the Flora colossus race by planting it in the sacred pool. Groot used World Pod during the Guardians battle with Thanos, which rendered it useless.[9] According to Groot, his race was once saved by Adam Warlock, he did so again by restoring Groot's World Pod to bring back his race.[10] The Guardians went to Planet X to plant the World Pod but was infested with feral symbiotes by Thanos, forcing them to destroy the planet to get rid of most of them. The World Pod was then planted on Planet Y, where the Flora colossus will one day coexist with the remaining pure Symbiotes, but will sprout within a billion millennia.[11]
Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999)[]
Groot and his offspring were members of the Flora colossus race.[12] Their language, although difficult to understand, was known throughout the universe, even to the Asgardians.[13]
Earth-TRN912[]
The Flora Colossi were a species of plant-like humanoids from Planet X who spoke Taluhnisan. During the Galactic War, the Flora Colossi were driven to extinction by the Chitauri, with Groot barely surviving.[14]Powers and Abilities
Powers
Flora colossus physiology:
- Strength: their tree like form provides them great strength. They are able lift many heavy objects including several men on just one arm.
- Durability: Their hide is composed of wood dense enough and durable enough to make them immune to most conventional weapons, including gunfire and fire which would consume most woods. They can endure the loss of entire limbs apparently without experiencing pain.
- Cellular regeneration: they an amazing healing factor and have been shown to be able to regenerate everything from a missing limb to their whole body.
- Spores: they have the ability to produce tiny phosphorescent spores that float through the air and offer enough ambient light to illuminate a small area.
- Plasticity: they have the ability to stretch their limbs for long distances and reshape them for a variety of tasks. They normally take the shape of a large tree-like humanoid, but can also weave their limbs into a dense tangle of vines. Individual pseudopods can be grown at will, to act as fingers, rudimentary tools, or even bud a small flower.
Abilities
Weaknesses
Language Barrier: The language of the Flora colossus is almost impossible to understand due to the stiffness of the larynxes that make their speech continuously sound like they're saying "I am Groot" over and over again. Black Bolt's brother Maximus the Mad asserted that whenever Groot is saying his trademark "I am Groot!" he has actually been saying any number of things and people, who are oblivious to the subtle nuances of his speech misinterpret him as merely repeating his name.[15]
Fire: Being comprised of plant matter, the Flora colossi were susceptible to fire and could easily be burned.[16]
Fungal Infection: The Flora colossi are vulnerable to a parasitic fungal infection originating from the Deadwoods. This infection can mutate the Flora colossi into monstrous versions of themselves, causing them immense pain which can drive them mad. Presently there's no cure for it, though it was eventually exterminated, with Agz being the last carrier.[17]
Cold: Flora colossi can get sick from their form of cold which is caused by a fungi. This is completely harmless to the Flora colossi, causing the sick only to sneeze. However, if transmitted to non-Flora colossi, the infected would turn into mindless feral zombie-like creatures.[18]Habitat
Habitat
Gravity
Atmosphere
Population
Miscellaneous
Type of Government
Level of Technology
Cultural Traits
The Flora colossi are governed by the Arbor Masters who beside serving as monarchs also acted as teachers and protectors of the species. They were the custodians of the Branch Worlds and passed down their collected consciousness to the younger generations through photosynthesis.[4] The Arbor Masters were known to be quite cruel, expanding their empire through fear and conquest, deeming other and mammalian lifeforms as inferior to them and would abduct them for experimentation.[19]
Within the Flora colossi society it was deemed tree-son to impersonate a king of the Arbor Masters, and the offender would be sentenced to be chained in the Isle of Punishment where they would be pecked by cyborg birds and if they try to escape then they would be incinerated.[22]Representatives
Arbor Masters
Groot the Monster from Planet X
Groot of the Guardians of the Galaxy
Roxxon's Man-Thing (Man-Thing Hybrid)
Granopy
Gleef
Tweeg
Agz
Notes
- Given that all Flora colossi can only vocalize "I am Groot," it is possible that the various Groots that have appeared in Marvel Comics are actually separate entities from the one currently on the Guardians team.
- However, in Groot (Vol. 2), other Flora colossi were seen speaking their own unique variation of the language, using their own names such as Gleef, Tweeg and Agz.
Trivia
- In Tales of Suspense #4, explorers from Earth encountered a seemingly uninhabited planet in system 427 in the year 2500. It turns out that the planet was actually dominated by sentient, animate trees. It is unknown if there is any connection between this race of trees and Groot.
- Bounty hunter Killer Thrill after having her arm bitten off replaced it with the limb of a Flora colossi.[23]
See Also
- 440 appearance(s) of Flora colossi
- 56 minor appearance(s) of Flora colossi
- 11 mention(s) of Flora colossi
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Flora colossi
- 10 image(s) of Flora colossi
- 108 representative(s) of Flora colossi
Links and References
References
- ↑ Annihilation: Conquest - Starlord #2
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 3) #22
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 7) #8
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 3) #14
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 4) #1.MU
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 3) #33
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 7) #6
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy Annual (Vol. 5) #1
- ↑ Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy S1E24
- ↑ Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy S2E10
- ↑ Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy S2E11
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy
- ↑ Avengers: Infinity War
- ↑ Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
- ↑ Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #17
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Annihilators #2
- ↑ Groot (Vol. 2) #3–4
- ↑ Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay #1
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Groot #6
- ↑ Tales to Astonish #13
- ↑ Groot (Vol. 2) #3
- ↑ Annihilators #1–2
- ↑ Drax #11