Void Apple

A Void apple's fruit appears, essentially, like a common apple, except that its peel is a satin-black colour and texture, with subtle starry sparkles in it. Its foliage is a deep, slightly unnatural emerald green. The flesh of the fruit is white, with green and purple tints, as opposed to merely green tints. The seeds, which are contained in the interior of the fruit within a tough core, are black on their surface, as opposed to brown. The core is also edible but is usually not preferred. There are usually five seeds in each fruit, arranged in a star-shaped cluster.   It is the tree that shows the most obvious signs of Void corruption. Void apple trees grow thick, gnarled, and black, resembling sinister trees of dark forest fairy tales. Further, there are red glowing eyes hiding in the foliage amongst the healthy apples.   It is worth noting that Void apples do not require a solid "ground" surface to attach themselves to in order to grow. As a result, it is possible to find Void apple trees floating in the Void that resemble a twisted version of a World Tree, with a root network as rounded and expansive as its network of branches.

Like any apple tree, a Void apple reproduces through its seeds, which are contained in its fruits. Animals may distribute seeds by passing them through their digestive tracts, or fruits may rot where they fall, providing built-in nourishment for its seeds. It is unclear how this functions when a seed has no solid surface to root in, however.  

I think if you leave them alone in the Void long enough, they just hatch, like an egg.

— Queen Sable Aradia, Voider

  Void apple trees are typically smaller than their "real world" based counterparts, only growing up to a maximum height of 7-10 feet tall. "Rooted" trees tend to be taller than non-rooted trees.

It is likely that Void apple trees grow in a similar manner to common apple trees, requiring 7-10 years to gestate from seed to adult tree. However, like apple trees, Void apples graft well from saplings or cuttings. In point of fact, they graft more quickly, reaching out tiny cilia to fasten on to their host tree within mere minutes. They will graft to any tree of any species, or even rotting logs, like a mushroom. Once successfully grafted, they will produce fruit within 2-3 years.  

It doesn't make the best compost. Trust me on this one.

— Princess Sunny, Voider

  Void apples, especially when heated, do, in fact, make excellent compost, with nutrients that dramatically improve growth rates when used as fertilizer. Unfortunately, there are other things in the compost as well, and exposure will cause plants fertilized with it to grow in deformed shapes, turn odd colours, or grow hair, eyes, or tentacles.  

No Foxx, I don't know if it was poisonous or not. I disposed of it. With fire.

— Prince Jean, Voider

Yeah, that sort of thing tends to upset the normies. Good plan.

— Queen Sable

Void apples are exclusive to the Void. Of note, unlike many other Void species, the apples seem to do equally well in any Void layer, from The Netherlayers to The Firmament. In the Firmament, the wood and bark of the tree is white or purple, foliage is often golden rather than green, and eyes might be replaced with glowing will o' wisps; in the The Overflow, the foliage may randomly burst into flame that does not consume the tree. It is unclear if these trees are subspecies of Void apples, or if this is a result of the same species responding to different environmental conditions.

The biological process of how Void apples extract energy and nutrients from their environment is unclear, since they do not seem to require rooting and there is no sun in the Void. They do not seem to require water, either.

The apples themselves seem to have no sensory capabilities once removed from the tree. The same likely cannot be said of the tree.  

Mother? It blinked at me.

— Prince Jean

Yes, dear. Would you like an apple?

— Queen Sable

Baby Voiders, so cute when they still get weirded out by things.

— Princess Sunny

Void Polypore will sometimes grow on Void apple wood or bark.