Attack of the Killer Pine Cones

I just skimmed through a permaculture site that was suggesting mass plantings on the periphery of towns to use as a food source and sending out the harvesters in helmets. :)

http://permaculturenews.org/2013/11/27/the-bunya-bunya-pine-araucaria-bidwillii/

Now I'm picturing something similar on Traipah, that seeds more often, being used as a defensive measure around villages/towns. Can't tear down the precious plants and ecosystems to build a city wall, so build a wall of these massive... AHA! I've not yet figured out what the Ironwood Trees of Traipah look like, and now I have this notion of these 50 foot tall, bright red trees planted so close together they've grown into this massive wall of wood as hard as steel with no gaps between them (except at the gates), and they have these enormous seeds tipped with massive long blades so they can penetrate the soil; the branches spread out about 30 feet or more from the trunks, trained to grow out rather than in, leaving a 30 foot radius where the only safe place to walk is this strip that can be pulled apart with ropes and pulleys. Try getting into the village without permission, and you risk being cut in half lengthwise by these massive Ironwood seeds. *EVIL LAUGHTER*

Ah, Australia. This kind of thing is why Australia was - and remains to this day - the primary inspiration for Traipah. Like Australia, everything on Traipah wants to kill you, even the trees; and not just the carnivorous trees, either.

seanan_mcguire would love this thing. (She probably already knows about it... :)