Fallout Taxonomy: Mutfruit
The occupants of the Earth of the Black Isle display, as many anthropoids do, a bias towards other forms of animal life. This is perhaps forgiveable, as the majority of those forms of animal life that we have considered are either active predators of, or severe territorial dangers to, human life in the post-nuclear wastes. However, we find the evolution and transformation of flora in the wastes an equally valid subject of study. In this first installment, we consider a hardy wasteland staple: the Mutfruit.
As is common in the Earth of the Black Isles, the terminology adopted for various post-war mutations is both widely shared and widely imprecise. The 'mutfruit' spoken of from coast to coast (and reportedly as far as London) constitutes several distinct species, all sharing the same etymology: 'mutant' and 'fruit'. The most prominent in each region, at the time of linguistic adaptation, received this generic term.
THE COMMON EASTERN MUTFRUIT
FIGURE 1: A botanical illustration of the Eastern Mutfruit, first described by Pagliarulo et al, 2015. [Artist unknown - source, Fallout 76's Botanical Poster.] Observe the characteristic plum colouration of the fruit of this sturdy, but stunted, tree.
We begin with the Common Eastern Mutfruit of Appalachia and New England, lovingly depicted by an unnamed 'Responder' in the work above, circa 2080. If the 'Responder' is correct, it is a Malus - the genus of apples and crabapples. The Pedant is, however, unconvinced - though it freely concedes that other species of Mutfruit are clearly in the genus Malus. A number of features incline us to this position - highlighted in the figure below.
FIGURE 2: The Common Eastern Mutfruit examined: (a) The typical habit of the Common Eastern Mutfruit, which is rarely more than six feet tall and often well under. Observe crooked growth, lack of branching, and sparseness of the crown. This specimen was photographed in Diamond City, circa 2287. (b) The bark of the shrub, with distinct vertical striations and no rugose scaling. (c) The exposed surface roots of the shrub, typical of the species under cultivation. (d) The top of the Mutfruit itself. Observe the prominent leaves, closely attached to the budding point, and the purple hue of the fruit. (e) The leaves of a typical Common Eastern Mutfruit. Observe the shape - wholly distinct from those of Malus, but not dissimilar to those plants of the genus Vitis. (f) The fruit on the bush, highlighting the curious lumpy shape of the Mutfruit. These fruit yield a considerable amount of juice and are well known for their sweetness.
These features are contrary to those of most Malus species, which tend to be two to six times larger, smooth-barked where they are not rugose in plates, with distinctive leaves:
FIGURE 3: Botanical illustrations of Malus domestica (Franz Eugen Köhler, 1897); Malus coronia (Michaux, 1812); and Malus angustifolia (E. Rowan, 1901.)
While a case may be made that the leaf of the 'Malus maatta' is not wholly dissimilar to that of Malus coronia, the pedant is not satisfied that this alone is sufficient grounds to declare the Mutfruit a Malus. Nor does the existence of the small Malus brevipes provide a sufficient case to believe that the Mutfruit is merely a small, universally stunted Malus species.
Instead, the Pedant submits that the most likely ancestor of the Common Eastern Mutfruit - and indeed, the Southern Mutfruit - lies among the Vitis, or grapevine, genus, and perhaps specifically with the Vitis labrusca species. These plants have leaves of approximately the right shape, size, and form; grow red and purple fruits that cluster closely together - sometimes to the extent of fusion - and are famously very sweet; have striated bark on older and well-established specimens; and, as climbing plants, do not grow tall.
The principle mutations we observe, assuming this is the case, are straightforward:
The tendency of the fruit to merge together, rather than remaining seperate. This is known to occur in grapes that are too closely packed - we assume, lacking evidence of the flowering stage of the mutfruits, that this occurs for the Common Eastern Mutfruit, producing a single large fruit with characteristic irregular lumps. It is unclear whether this takes place to the extent that the fruit is a true aggregate fruit or not.
The development of an abnormally rugged trunk and the loss of climbing tendencies, including the principal loss of tendrils except at the roots. Ruggedization is a frequent response to radiation in the Earth of the Black Isles, and seems likely. Tendrils may be present as adapted branches, which may also explain the relative reluctance of the Mutfruit to fork and its inability to cultivate a dense crown.
We note also that the Mutfruit provides a characteristic grape taste and colouration to home-brewed Grape Mentats, suggesting that, at a minimum, they are a rich source of methyl anthranilate.
We proceed on the basis that this analysis is correct, and nominate the Common Eastern Mutfruit accordingly as Lignovitis concordia, the type-species of the Lignovitis|radiomutandis genus of mutated grapevines.
THE SOUTHERN MUTFRUIT
FIGURE 4: A typical specimen of commercially sold Southern Mutfruit - first described by Pagliarulo et al, 2008 - popular in a broad band between the Capitoline Wastes and the Mojave. Observe the distinct cluster appearance of the fruit, which shares a single stem.
The Southern Mutfruit, we submit, shares this ancestry. While data is scarce on the plant itself, the fruit is well-documented and appears suggestively similar to the Common Eastern Mutfruit - a cluster of fused fruits, not quite of full aggregate status, with a marked blue-purple tone. We submit the Southern Mutfruit constitutes a distinct population with a range encompassing much of the southern half of the former United States and northern Mexico, having either arisen naturally across it or having emerged during the early post-war trade period as an offshoot of Lignovitis concordia. We tentatively nominate this species as Lignovitis crassus.
THE CRUNCHY MUTFRUIT
FIGURE 5: A typical 'crispy' mutfruit, first described by Pagliarulo et al, 2008.
Coinciding with the range of the Southern Mutfruit, and likely giving rise to the confusion of the Vitis-derived mutfruits with the Malus genus, the 'crunchy mutfruit' strongly resembles the common apple - also known to grow in the same range. Without firm evidence of divergence in rootstock or genetics, we find no basis to assume speciation, and declare that the Crunchy Mutfruit, like its cousin the apple, is Malus domestica. We further venture, based on their deep red colouration and allegedly mealy texture (Rosenthal, 2018), that the Crunchy Mutfruit is a particularly irradiated variety of the infamously deceitful Red Delicious apple. Potentially, these Crunchy Mutfruit may be more pleasant than their non-mutated counterparts, having regained the yellow stripe genes in blotching form.
THE CALIFORNIA 'MUT'FRUIT
FIGURE 6: A typical California mutant fruit, first described by Cain et al, 1997.
Commonly spoken of in the same breath as the Eastern Mutfruits, the California mutant fruit is a difficult specimen for analysis. Almost nothing is known of its provenance or characteristics, save that it is largely spherical, somewhat knobbly, usually green, and rich in citric acids (Myron, 2241), and is some variety of mutant.
Nonetheless, the Pedant ventures a tentative nomination. The rich citric acid content, knobbliness, and spherical shape lead us to the belief that the California 'mutfruit' is in fact a variety of orange - a species still desired for cultivation as late as 2281, and still spoken of with envy by scientists and dreamers - or, perhaps more likely, of the lemon.
We submit that the knobbly shape of the California neo-citrus is the result of atavistic return to the ancestral citron, Citrus medica, from which many citrus plants derive, including the lemon. The vital role of rural California in the farming of lemons and limes favours this prospect, and the California mutant fruit is not known for sweetness but for its high citric acid content - a further indicator that these knobbly green neo-citrons may derive from the lemon.
Accordingly, we tentatively nominate them as Citrus x irradians.
FIGURE 7: The phylogenetic tree of the Mutfruits.
The Universal Pedant hopes this discourse on the humble mutfruit will be useful both to fellow pedants and to those who have pondered what, precisely, the Earth of the Black Isle has to offer. [And a shoutout to Kai - I hope this solution to the Mutfruit problem amuses him.]
Next time? Who knows. Maybe more plants, maybe back to vampires, maybe back to radio silence. Maybe molerats. Probably molerats.
