Frond

Description
At the Convergence the kids clear away HANDFULS of Detritus, revealing the outer edges of a SOLID WHITE OBJECT about the size of a muffler. It is wedged inside the TRANSLUCENT MATRIX of converging Coral Shoots. The kids begin to slide the object out. The object is a FROND. It resembles the HEXAGONAL CONE SHAPE hollowed out in the amber plates from the adult story.

Origin
The frond is the output from the Farming process, which is carried out by the Choruses.

Frond Types
The screenplay describes four types of Frond.

Eight Slit Frond
The farmed frond contains..... EIGHT SLITS in its top

Output
Once connected to the Circle Frond, the Eight Slit Frond is seen to produce eight point starbursts from it's slits. The Eight-Slit Frond has grown SOMETHING in its slits. With both hands he carefully pulls it out: an EIGHT POINT STARBURST. It is flat like the original discs.

Circle Frond
The frond found inside the maker is described as follows: The enclosed one has a LARGE CIRCLE SLOT instead (the same size as the original discs)

Output
Presumably, the Circle Front produces flat-discs.

Mystery Frond
In scene 240, a third type of frond is discovered by Carter behind a boulder... At the end of the turn, he notices Carter 50 feet off. He’s found something behind a large boulder. CUT TO: They both look at a CORAL SHOOT, hidden from the others. Inside it we can make out the shape of a THIRD FROND. but not much is mentioned regarding this until much later in the story, where it is revealed that Carter has it: CARTER And we're just watching them do it. Well, they don't have the third one. Graham and Samuel look to each other wondering what he's referring to. Carter positions himself in front of Euclid. CARTER That one’s mine. I say who uses it or doesn’t. It’s not yours to give away.

Output
The third frond is seen to produce bowls. The Third Frond has produced what looks like a WHITE ANGULAR BOWL (a PLATE from now on). Carter is pulling on it, trying to detach it from the Frond with no luck.

Fourth Frond
Later, we learn that the hexagon has turned into another frond. The boys discover that it is another Circle Frond, like the one found in the maker: The place is empty. The Hexagon growing out of the Frond Set is now fully formed. We now see it is yet another Frond. We can’t see what kind of Frond it is because the part of it that ejects pieces is face down. CUT TO: Graham tilts the new Frond over so that Samuel can see underneath it. SAMUEL Circle. GRAHAM Like the other circle? SAMUEL Circle. Just like it.

Connectivity Between Choruses and eight-Slit Frond
We soon learn that the eight-slit Frond can be carried by two choruses. It contains flower-shaped ports: THE LEASHES are removed from the Choruses. They immediately charge over and each locks one of their shoulders into two Flower-Shaped PORTS on the Frond. In this way they are able to carry the Frond between them as they move.

Attempted Connectivity between the Maker and Eight-Slit Frond
We also learn that the Choruses push themakerand frond together in an attempt to do something: The Choruses deposit the Frond on the floor near the Maker which is roughly the same size and shape. One Chorus nudges it toward the Maker while the other pushes the Maker toward the Frond until the two touch, but nothing happens. The Choruses keep trying.

Connectivity between the Eight-Slit Frond and Circle Frond
Later in the screenplay, we learn that the boys manage to successfully connect the farmed Eight-Slit Frond, and the Circle Frond, by removing the Circle Frond from the Maker / Governor: Carter carefully lifts the Circle Frond out of the Governor. CUT TO: The kids slide the Circle Frond and the Eight-Slit Frond together so that they line up the way the Choruses had earlier intended. CLOSE UP ON THE "SEAMS" AS THEY LINE UP CUT TO: The two connected Fronds sit alone at night. We hear them CHURNING.

Connectivity between the Circle Frond, The Eight-Slit-Frond, and the Mystery Frond
In scene 280, the mystery frond is seen to successfully connect with the other two fronds: The Third Frond is slid into place with the other two Fronds, filling in the 1/3 vacancy.

Output
The three interconnected Fronds appear to cause the production of a hexagon.