Herbarium

The study and practice of herbology has gained great favor in the academies of the Evperian empires. As the empires grow the need for usable plants grow, making cataloging every species a must. Along with the establishing and expansion of colonies in Ignosia, more and more species of plants are discovered yearly  with all kinds of uses. 

At the Royal academy in Anlog an exhibition of herbology gives the good people of the empire a chans to explore some of the many plants that one can find throughout the world.

Boom tree – Found in the dry tropics of Ignosia. The Boom tree stands about fifteen meters tall with a bare trunk with coarse patchy bark that ends with a wide crown of thin branches with small leaves. On these branches grow small clusters of fruit covered with a thick skin and barbs, colloquially called "bomb fruit" and is as the name suggests of an explosive sort. The fruit has no flesh to speak of, the inside is mainly layers of seed pods between sacks of liquid which becomes unstable as the fruit ripens, until a point where it degrades and produce a high pressure inside the fruit making it burst, spreading seeds far around. Boom trees thrive in arid environments and grow sparsely. Most animals seem to avoid the trees as there is little to find of nutritional value. Some groups of Vetter however have found use for the fruits in warfare. By harvesting the fruit in an unripe stage, then fermenting it before laying it to dry, the skin of the fruit hardens and stabilizes the liquid. When put to use later, the Vetter light the fruit on fire and violently shake it before throwing it at enemies. The heat and shaking reinvigorates the liquid, causing the hardened fruit to explode with enough force that anyone standing close will suffer serious damage from the splinters of hard skin and barbs.

Razorleaf – A tropical plant found in the Lumius jungle. The plant is an evergreen that grows up to two meters tall with large leafs that hardens and creates a sharp edge all around that is able to create small cuts. On the underside of the leaf the plant creates a visous liquid that is a potent venom which gathers along the sharp edge and when an unlucky creature gets cut by the leaf the venom is deposited into the wound, causing excruciating pain. Groups of Vetter often harvest the venom and leaves, using them both for weapons and traps. Some observations also say that the Vetter use the venom in rituals, but whether it be as a rite of passage or initiation for warriors is still unclear.

Moon bloom – A flower growing on the slopes of the Lumious mountains. The plant is low growing and spreads over a smaller area. It has small white and fuzzy leafs that grow in tight bunches where in the middle a flower bud will grow. As the bud grows a stem will protrude it out from the bunch of leafs. When close to blooming the bud will be fat and spiky, and secret a nectar which has a sweet and pleasant fragrance. The flower only blooms during a full moon. As it bloom the bud opens up to reveal blue shimmering corolla of slim petals surrounding bright yellow stamen and carpels. The plant is not common but not so much as to be considered rare, this is mostly due to the favored growing location to be hard to reach. Attempts have been made to grow the plant in gardens but without success. For a short period of time the plant garnered a lot of interest for its nectar for used in perfume however this practice did not last long as the nectar showed itself to be highly psychoactive in larger quantity, especially in its raw form. Even when diluted a continuous use would put the wearer in a delusional state which could last some time after the last application. Currently the use of Moon bloom nectar is forbidden in the empires but it is still used in the colonial areas of Ignosia. It is especially common with brothels and prostitutes, not rarely for nefarious purposes.

Blood mold – The blood mold is a fungus found in the tropical areas of Lilla where it grows inside hollow trees. It has a wet and woolly appearance with a reddish brown tint. When touched it leaves a blood-like looking secretion, which is where it gets its namesake from. The secretion is a potent poison with paralytic properties and is used by the local people for hunting and warfare. A sufficient dose will paralyze the whole body making it impossible to breath, making the victim slowly suffocate. Blood mold grows in patches, where each patch connects to another via long lines of mycelium. It is still unclear how the mold spreads. Some speculate that spores are caught on insects or birds that go inside infected trees and then transports the spores to other potential hosts.

When explorers brought samples of the secretion to Evperia it caught the attention of doctors that began experimenting with it during more invasive procedures using smaller doses with the notion that a patient in a paralytic state would not experience the pain of surgery. The method was quickly rejected as patients would still experience the full pain but unable to move or scream. With the added difficulty to breath the patient would pass out from the intense pain and some would perish from suffocation.

Dreamwort – The Dreamwort is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant found in the subtropical areas of Ignosia. It has large white flowers that bloom during the rainy season. The main body of the dreamwort is the underground bulb from which a single stem grows up above the soil. The stem is fairly thin and supports one single flower. The flower is large, with four to five milky white petals which surrounds a pale red gynoecia. The flower has a mild and pleasant fragrance. The plant is sought-after for its bulb which contains a milky extract which when ingested causes drowsiness and mild euphoria. It is effective as a pain relief in small to moderate doses and has become popular among surgeons in the empires and colonies. Larger doses however have a prominent side effect of causing vivid and often disturbing dreams and visions, continued ingestion after this stage leads to delirium and potentially psychosis. A common anecdote from indulgers is an experience of a different world without rules that seemingly change at a whim, reflecting the current state of mind of the indulger. For the same reasons dreamwort is a popular item among the more seedy elements in society, especially in the colonial and frontier areas where people willingly ingest larger doses for relaxation and escapism. This practice is forbidden in the Evperian empires and their colonial holdings, but still appears in illegal spaces.