Bonbon Tree

Bonbon Tree is a domesticated plant that grows a trunk and up to five fixed branches, producing Nectar instead of lumber. It appears in the Nectar Biome and can also be planted from a Bonbon Tree Seed, which is not generated by the tree itself the way ordinary crop seeds are. Additional seeds can be obtained by uprooting a Bonbon Tree, from Care Packages after Cycle 24, from Spigot Seal droppings, and from Bonbon Meteors during Icy Nectar Meteor Showers.

A Bonbon Tree’s trunk takes 4.5 cycles to mature domestically, or 18 cycles if wild. Each branch then takes another 4.5 cycles domestically, or 18 cycles wild, to mature. The tree’s branches are fixed to the top-left, top-middle, top-right, middle-left, and middle-right positions around the trunk area. Unlike Arbor Trees, Bonbon Trees do not use variable branch placement, and unlike most plants they never self-harvest from age. Branches also require at least 300 Lux to grow, while the trunk itself does not need light.

Once mature, each lit branch contributes to Nectar production in the trunk. Production begins only when at least one mature branch is receiving light, and each non-wilting branch above the light threshold increases output proportionally to its illuminance, up to a cap at 10,000 Lux. A fully supported domestic Bonbon Tree can produce up to 80 kg of Nectar per cycle from its trunk, while a wild tree produces one quarter of that, up to 20 kg per cycle. The trunk stores up to 20 kg of Nectar and then outputs it through the tile above the root, or can be harvested by a Duplicant with the appropriate crop-care skill. Once full, it stops accumulating more Nectar until space is available. A Duplicant can also remove stored Nectar in batches of at least 5 kg.

Bonbon Tree branches can be eaten by Pips, but unlike Arbor Tree branches they must be fully mature before a Pip will consume them. Harvesting the branches yields Wood, making the tree much less productive for lumber than an Arbor Tree. Spigot Seals can drink Nectar directly from a Bonbon Tree as well.

• Branch growth requires light, but Nectar production scales with light intensity only after branches are mature.
• Farmer’s Touch speeds trunk and branch growth, but does not increase Nectar production.
• Sunlight alone is not enough for full output because it is only available part of the cycle and varies over time.
• Mature branches can be uprooted, but the tree does not auto-drop them; keeping branches mature and lit is the key to stable production.
• The tree’s trunk and mature branches can excavate buried solid tiles after being covered for a short time, helping them clear obstructions around themselves.