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Help me understand ent reproductive biology
So I started thinking about this and now I can't stop. I blame this comment thread.
One possibility is that they have human-like reproductive organs hidden away somewhere. I guess this is not that far-fetched, given that they also have, like, eyes. But I find it a boring idea.
The other possibility is that they reproduce like trees, which I think is more fun! But this has problems. Many trees have flowers with both stamens and pistils. Oaks for example, which I think Treebeard is meant to be, have both, but not always in the same quantities. Some trees are 75% male, some are 25% male, etc. It varies. I do like the idea that the ent/entwife divide doesn't actually have to do with gender but with whether they have an affinity for wilderness or traditional agricultural landscapes. But that doesn't work with canon, because when the entwives are gone, they're supposed to not be able to reproduce anymore. Hmm, there's also the question of whether ents from different tree species can mate, but it seems that canonically they can--I remember Treebeard talking longingly of a birch-entwife.
Surely Tolkien knew that many flowers have both male and female organs? I can't believe he wouldn't know that. Of course, there are trees which are either male or female; willows are a good example. But it annoys me that I can't resolve this without it being either botanically inaccurate or incompatible with canon. : ( I suppose the simplest solution is to pretend that oak trees, too, are either male or female. But damn it, I like them being hermaphroditic. Can anyone see a solution? What was Tolkien thinking here?
I also wonder about the entings. Most trees are r-strategists (many offspring, low investment in each one, in the expectation that many will die), and it's painful to think of the little entings being eaten alive by browsing animals. Maybe they only become conscious when they've survived and reached a certain age?
ETA: And a solution in the comments! Thank you. ♥
One possibility is that they have human-like reproductive organs hidden away somewhere. I guess this is not that far-fetched, given that they also have, like, eyes. But I find it a boring idea.
The other possibility is that they reproduce like trees, which I think is more fun! But this has problems. Many trees have flowers with both stamens and pistils. Oaks for example, which I think Treebeard is meant to be, have both, but not always in the same quantities. Some trees are 75% male, some are 25% male, etc. It varies. I do like the idea that the ent/entwife divide doesn't actually have to do with gender but with whether they have an affinity for wilderness or traditional agricultural landscapes. But that doesn't work with canon, because when the entwives are gone, they're supposed to not be able to reproduce anymore. Hmm, there's also the question of whether ents from different tree species can mate, but it seems that canonically they can--I remember Treebeard talking longingly of a birch-entwife.
Surely Tolkien knew that many flowers have both male and female organs? I can't believe he wouldn't know that. Of course, there are trees which are either male or female; willows are a good example. But it annoys me that I can't resolve this without it being either botanically inaccurate or incompatible with canon. : ( I suppose the simplest solution is to pretend that oak trees, too, are either male or female. But damn it, I like them being hermaphroditic. Can anyone see a solution? What was Tolkien thinking here?
I also wonder about the entings. Most trees are r-strategists (many offspring, low investment in each one, in the expectation that many will die), and it's painful to think of the little entings being eaten alive by browsing animals. Maybe they only become conscious when they've survived and reached a certain age?
ETA: And a solution in the comments! Thank you. ♥