 Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 11:45 pm
»»» Note-Worthy Plants
While much of the Flora in this world is close that of our own,
here are a few unique types of plants that can only be found
in this world. Below we will list them and a bit about them,
descriptions and applications of use.
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Herb Barumin
(Perennial )
Details: Vicious little plants, growing only 1ft - 1ft 6", they bloom during the darkest hours of the night and at that time they ooze a yellow sap-like substance from their exposed petals. The sap itself is quite toxic, often used for a poison called 'Sweet Nectar' that is lethal in small doses, but the flower? If given time to shed it's sap it can be harvested at the end of it's nightly bloom for remarkably potent poison cure-agents and anti-inflammatory medicines, herbalists and alchemists plucking only a few petals and clippings from the plants and leaving the herb otherwise intact. When distressed, namely being picked or trampled, it actively doubles the output of it's sap and the medicinal qualities are tainted.. This is fine for those that want the poison but for those that want the curing agents they must be patient and careful not to over-stress the plant upon harvesting it's pieces. They are native to forest areas but can grow rather stubbornly in the North as well.
Advised Uses: The sap is a highly toxic substance that can be refined into poison. The (drained) flower contains the ability to break down even foreign poisons on contact when powdered and mixed with water, ingesting the substance is the most recommended method of treatment.
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Herb Hesti
( Fungus )
Details: In just about any crook and cranny, wherever there is sufficient material to feed on, this fungus grows abundantly in the underground caves and caverns native to the Dwarves. It glows with a natural Bioluminescence and, when matured properly, it is not only edible but quite delicious on it's own and in stews.. Some Dwarves have even taken to using it as flavoring in their homemade booze. How does one tell when it is ready for particular uses? Simple, the color of it's glow.
Advised Uses: When it glows green it is young in it's growth, best avoided due to it's almost bitter taste. Blue light from the cheerful little mushrooms show it's mid-life stage and this is the best time to harvest them for flavoring in drinks and the like, the flavor potent and hearty at this point. A purple glow will signal it's end-life stage and the ripening of it's nutritional value, best used in soups and other edible ways. A Yellow glow represents a dying mushroom and, while typically avoided, if ingested at this point it can cause hallucinating reactions.. The Dwarves, and those with mischievous intentions, could use a potion version of this substance to sabotage others. It is not harmful and typically leaves the target's system in about two hours.
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Herb Imp Whistle
( Biennial )
Details: A dainty plant that grows mainly in the Plains and Desert regions this little herb actually 'whistles' when the wind blows due to the unique shaping of it's leaves. When brewed into a tea this plant stimulates mana-growth and physical-regeneration, it also offers a 'calming' effect and a slightly Minty aftertaste. It is actively grown by the Orcs as a cash-crop of sorts.
Advised Uses: Good for long-term healing and well-being, it is a common Tea ingredient but otherwise useless to anyone that isn't a mage looking to replenish their magic.
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Herb Everwhisp
( Annual )
Details: Colorful stalk-flowers that bloom in a variety of blues reds and purples they add a charming flare to any garden, but with this plant there is more to it than just a pretty display. At the base of the roots a bulb grows that, when harvested and processed properly into a salve, it serves as a rather strong pain-killer.
Advised Uses: Salves or bandage-coating. Do not ingest, it causes severe stomach distress!
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Herb Dawnstalk
( Aquatic )
Details: Growing in the depths of the sea, and a fresh-water subspecies in deep lakes, this plant functions as a natural lightsource with it's bioluminescent 'caps' that grow along the stalks. Typically giving off white light they serve as 'lamps' to otherwise dim areas and it has become common practice by some villages/species to use them in aquarium-like containers for lighting their homes. As long as they have fish in their enclosures, enough to keep a symbiotic relationship with the aquatic life, they will thrive anywhere from a castle's study to a peasant's shack. Dead they are useless, so keeping them alive upon harvest and transportation is crucial.. Most employ herbalists for the retrieval and care of this plant until arrival.
Advised Uses: Illumination. Dead it has no use, it isn't even healthy to eat, so it is best to keep it alive.
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Tree Bhanso
( Evergreen )
Details: Native to dry, arid climates this tall tree-type plant is a natural blessing to those that travel. In deserts and even in the plains areas they thrive in the harshest of places with little effort, gathering water from deep beneath the surface and storing it in it's many pods to call on when needed. Said water is quite nutricious due to it's filtering and storage process, gaining a faintly sweet taste to those that pluck a bulb and take a sip. Bhanso grow to over 18ft in height and their bulbs can likewise range from small ( 6inches ) to large ( 3ft ) and they regenerate 'taken' or 'used' pods by shedding them and growing new ones as they gather more water. It is very difficult to kill this plant, even cutting the trunk down for wood can't actually stunt it.. Given a few months, if the roots are left alone, it will simply grow a new trunk over time.
Advised Uses: Wood supply and water. As long as the plant's roots are undamaged it can serve as a nearly endless supply of lumber and hydration, this is often why the plant is called a 'Mini Oasis'.
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Fruit Tidesbane
( Aquatic )
Details: Prone to growing in areas where the tide lifts and falls on shorelines this particular plant can be a rather nasty little surprise due to the sharp barbs that develop on it's crown. Buried shallowly under the sand they have a habit of 'pricking' any unwary feet that tread too closely.. Yet despite this people actively grow and hunt for Tidesbane. Why? Under those spiny vines the bulb is actually a delicious fruit that is comparable to a purple-colored Cantaloupe. Able to thrive in shallow water is a cash-crop by many villages near lakes and ponds, fresh-water plants are sweeter where as sea-water plants have a unique salty-sweet taste. They grow anywhere from the size of an apple to the size of a 3ft wine barrel, the bigger they are the more mellow the taste.
Advised Uses: Consumption, but it can also be dried for travel-ready snacks and even dried/powdered to sweeten other consumables.
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Tree Haugale
( Deciduous )
Details: Trees native to the deep forests of the world. While, with the seasons, their leaves do change and fall the luminous bulbs that grow upon their branches are a constant fixture. A hardy, clear membrane generated by the tree itself it fills with sap that, in darkness, glows with a vibrant red ( small ones ) to yellow-white (larger ones) light. The bigger the bulb is the brighter it becomes, though of course once they outgrow their supporting branch they snap off and tumble to the ground. The Elves have taken to harvesting these bulbs and, after draining them, using them as lantern casings around their villages.
Advised Uses: The wood of a Haugale tree, though uncommon outside the forests, is surprisingly light and greatly resistant to fire/heat. The bulb shells, once shed, share this resistance.. Often ending up as cooking pots or lanterns by natives. The sap, though beautiful when lit by the tree, is highly poisonous and agitates the skin on contact. It is agonizingly lethal in prolonged/ingested situations. Careful handling and cleaning is advised.
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Tree Auron
( Deciduous )
Details: Also called 'World Trees' In the ancient tongue it was called Auron and the name stands to this day. ' Aur' meaning " honorable", and '-on' - suffix meaning "to end" or "noble sacrifice". For such massive trees they grow rather quickly, taking only a few decades to reach the extreme sizes and durability they are known for. This is typically because they grow in large bodies of water, salt or fresh, and absorb mind boggling amounts of the liquid to accelerate their growth. In areas of low moisture it takes much longer for them to thrive, and the wood seems much denser/harder to cut. No Auron tree has ever been fully cut down in the history of this world, at least not one that has grown beyond that of the sapling stages. Not for a lack of attempt of course, they are simply too big to bring down.. So people harvest their still-massive branches for the lumber they need. Entire villages have been known to carve out homes in these trees as they harvest the wood, living in them year-round just as Miners live by Mines. This is the most sought-after and common material for construction in civilized regions mainly because it is durable and very abundant.
Advised Uses: Perhaps the most durable type of wood to be found in this world they can grow anywhere they have access to water, actually known to carve out their own oasis in deserts to survive and even crack glaciers in the North for the water underneath.
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