Starfly plant

Starfly plants were spacefaring plants that drifted through wildspace and the phlogiston. They were considered omens of good luck among travelers, as well as the precursors to almost all forms of elven spacecraft.

Description
In their most commonly found development stage, starfly plants were small, colorful,, butterfly-shaped plants that drifted slowly through space. They were similar in shape and appearance to elven spelljammers

The main body of the plant was a delicious fruit surrounding an almond-shaped non-edible seed. Starfly plants were typically found in groups of up to 100 individual plants.

Ecology
Starfly plants drew energy from the sun, capturing sunlight through their wings and converting it to sugar.

The small butterfly-like fruit was the first stage of the starfly plant's life cycle. Once a seed landed on a comet, it laid its roots there and grew, taking nourishment from the water and minerals present there. Over time, the sapling developed large wing-shaped leaves and a central bulb that stored water. The leaves then became reflective and directed sunlight at the bulb, melting the ice and creating jets that propelled the entire body closer to the sun.

Once the plant reached a sufficient proximity to the sun, it shed its wing-shaped leaves and continued to grow until it became capable of supporting its own Gravity plane. Rocks and debris that were attracted by the tree's gravity were also used by it as nourishment as it continued to grow. Once the plant reached a size of, numerous pods throughout the plant burst, releasing air and generating a stable air envelope around it.

At this fully mature stage, the plant, now called a mother-tree, developed new leafy growths that were capable of supporting other plants and even animal life forms brought onto it by its gravity, effectively becoming an entire ecosystem and a living world. The mother-tree reproduced by releasing its butterfly-shaped fruit out into space, in search of new comets.

Starfly plants were commonly encountered among the Tears of Selûne, their high concentration there likely to be a result of the intense spelljammer traffic drawn by the Rock of Bral.

Uses
Spacefaring elves used a high magic ritual similar to the elaorman to enchant starfly plants, arresting their development in the fruit stage, while at the same time inducing their growth without having them attach themselves to a comet. The enchantment rendered the modified seedlings responsive to commands, while keeping them seedless. The ease to manipulate the final shape of the starfly plant allowed elves to produce a wide variety of ship sizes and shapes, such as gadabouts, flitters, men-o-war, and armadas.

Rumors & Legends
Encountering starfly plants was considered a good omen by spacefarers, in part as a result of the fruit's delicious taste.

It was rumored that elves were experimenting with adapting mother-trees to become spelljammers, by installing spelljamming helms on them. If true, these plants were to succeed armadas in the elven fleets.