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Arborification (樹化 Kika?) is a metamorphosis that causes living beings to sprout flowers from their bodies and enter into a blissful trance. This mutation usually happens to those who have been infected with Flower Tao or have drank the Tan elixir. The Paradise Butterflies of Kotaku are commonly known to carry mature samples of Tan within them to sting their targets and infect them with Arborification. In some cases, Arborification also acts somewhat like an illness, although it is unknown as to what the cause is. Mu Dan also possessed his own brand of Arborification when entering in his Kishikai where he had his victims sprout peonies with his plant stingers.
The Hōko were born with Arborification but experienced a different process where they completely turned into wooden constructs. This condition is what caused their entire race to go extinct. Hōrai also housed horses who had gone through this line of Arborification as well and are used for warfare.
The Arborification can be overcome if a human is on the verge of death where Tao is not being consumed through breathing, thinking, living, and have a strong will to survive. Once done, the human will achieve a balance between their Tao and Flower Tao and acquire regeneration powers. However, even if the human manages to balance out the fusion, the effects of the Arborification will accelerate if they regenerate too much, forcing them in trying to resist the vines in their body from taking over.
Trivia[]
- The wooden Arborification of the Hōko is quite similar to Epidermodysplasia verruciformis, also known as "treeman syndrome", an extremely rare skin disease where the body starts to experience symptoms of growths resembling tree bark.