Ecology of Montes

Since Belgium is stereotypically a land that rains all of the time, creating a planet covered in that climate became a challenge. What would the trees and plants of such a world look like? How does high humidity and rainfall affect flora? The answer came in the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Photo by adege on Pixabay.

The laurel forests of Madeira, also known as Laurisilva, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Found mainly in the mountainous interior of Madeira Island, these lush, evergreen forests thrive in the island's mild, humid climate. The laurels are tall with twisting and gnarled trunks and have dark green, lance-shaped leaves that are leathery and aromatic. Many trees are covered in mosses, ferns, and lichens due to the constant humidity, giving the forest a primeval, enchanted look.

Concept art for the plants of Montes.

Although filled with drinkable liquid water and a breathable atmosphere, the erosion caused by unending rain makes Montes mostly inhospitable except for the occasional oasis where plant life can survive. The flora sprout from heavy and complex root systems, digging into the wet earth to find any footing. The trunks are crooked and slick, appearing almost waterlogged, with bark that glistens like driftwood. The trees have long, ribbon-like leaves resembling seaweed—translucent, colorful strands that glimmer in dappled light and emit a soft bioluminescent glow at night, like plankton stirred by moonlight. The branches drip with hanging parasitic moss, barnacles, and tangle. There are no flowers or fruit trees.

A "seaweed tree" in Unreal Engine 5.

Implementing the tree in Unreal Engine 5 combined stylized organic modeling with dynamic materials and environmental interaction. Subsurface scattering was used for the seaweed leaves to achieve a translucent, light-passing effect. For wetness, roughness maps and reflectivity helped boost the realism. The bioluminescent glow of the seaweed used emissive maps and time-based pulsation via Material Parameters. By exposing the variables on the material, the different properties of the tree can be controlled through Blueprints, so trees can be changed based on time-of-day or weather.