Ashwort -- hardy land weed, grows in volcanic areas -- often poisonousCandlegrass -- a type of oil grass that grows in huge tufts, often braided or twisted into wicks or used as torch-material and tinder
Creeping Mathide -- herb -- poisonous
Finnipur -- prickly, stiff aromatic herb -- not poisonous
Foxmint -- pointy-tipped green mint-type herb, vaguely shaped like foxes' ears.
Lagoon Twine -- water weed/herb -- not poisonous
Sprigweal -- herb -- not poisonous
Bitterweed. A small leafy plant with a thin stalk and long, stiff, serrated green-black leaves poking up from the base. The stem is topped by a cluster of six round-petaled white flowers with yellow-pink centers that produce inordinate amounts of pollen for their small size. At the base of the plant are root tendrils that end in small round brown-black berries, called 'bitterweed stones'. Leaves are bitter and only edible to grazing animals. Bitterweed grows mainly where no one wants it to--in courtyards, between cobblestones--mainly in the temperate and sub-tropical zones.
Deinathrax. A tiny green-black plant with four-parted starlike leaves. Addictive as pipeweed or incense. It gives an almost-painful sharpening of perceptions and a marked increase in self-confidence, mood and belligerence. Once it has worn off, perception is hazy, emotions turn sour and dark, and an immense headache forms. A terrible aftertaste lingers in the mouth for hours. It is grown in Hjaltar, and is exported to the Brother Nations in bulk.
Dragon-gold. A small, slender, single-stalked plant with a large cluster of yellow-white flowers at the end. In the autumn the flowers dry up and small brown pods form, full of deep golden-coloured pollen grains, which are an excellent and potent spice. Dragon-gold grows on the eastern fringes of the Borderland and in the Borderland itself.
Firebell. An orange-red flower with six thick waxy petals growing from a seed-pod center, a finely thorn-fuzzed green stem, long serrated teardrop-shaped leaves and an onion-shaped root bulb. The firebell's petals, pod and bulb all contain large amounts of flammable and capsaicin-laden edible oils, while the stem and leaves hold trace amounts. The pod contains one to two dozen hard-coated spicy seeds, which germinate best after the outer coats have been stripped by flame. Birds and animals generally find them inedible. Humans and other intelligent species often cultivate them for their flammable and culinary properties. They grow best in dry, hot environments and can be found from southern Illane and the Plainsland to southern Yezadra and northern Zhangi-Uru.
Ghostfruit. Fist-sized yellow bulbs that grow as the fruit of the wisp reed. When at full size, they take on a phosphorescent yellow-green glow. Toxic to humans, they are harvested for dyes, poisons and the drug 'ghost-dust', which produces a short-term euphoric high followed by long stretches of unconsciousness, amnesia and dissociative behavior. Overdosing causes convulsions and brain damage. Ghostfruit are also used as temporary light-sources; the glow fades within five days of detachment from the reed.
Giant's Thumb. Massive log-shaped fungus that grows like a pillar, up to 25 feet tall, in coastal marshes and wet plainsland with limited tree-growth. Mostly found in the Naza-Zcar swamp, but also in the Zhangish and Cirithen marshes. Mottled brown and white on the surface, sometimes with small gilled slits along the sides called Giant's Frills.
Givakya. A small reddish-brown herb that only grows in Baedor; its name translates roughly into 'blood-plant'. Dried and ground into a powder, it is used to help blood coagulation both when ingested and when applied as a paste to a wound. Ingestion by other than Baedoran natives can be fatal; for a Baedoran, it simply makes them clot like a normal person if injured. It has a slightly spicy, coppery taste.
Kistoia. A reddish-violet moss found in Hjaltar's jungles. Sour but edible, kistoia is mildly hallucinogenic to humans, and is used to brew kistala, a much more potently-hallucinogenic alcohol. It is also gathered by devotees of Nemesis and Kherus Morgwi in order to create poisons, both lethal and nonlethal.
Marokarashi. A small, round-leafed green shrub. Not chemically addictive. It has calming and sensory-blunting effects without causing drowsiness directly, and so is often used by armies to keep their men on an even keel after combat. Side-effects often include visual hallucinations when around arcane emanations. It grows best in warm, wet climates but is heavily cultivated in greenhouses all across the known world.
Ouripose/Selathargianka. A pale yellow moss, which glows with a golden phosphorescence in complete or partial darkness. Related to Vartipose/Derethargianka, a pale green version.
Praxum. A wildflower that produces a profusion of small blossoms in a curved cylinder- or cone-shaped tuft around a thick central stalk. Each blossom has five round petals around a yellow center. It has its own slim stalk on which grow three to six narrow leaves, which are slightly folded lengthwise to form a 'v' in cross-section. Found throughout the northern temperate zones and up to the snow line. Praxum can be found in red, white, pink and yellow varieties, with some intermixing possible so that individual plants can have two or three colors.
Saman's leaf. A small thin greenish-yellow plant with pointed-oval leaves opposite each other on the stem. Brewed into a tea, it causes drowsiness, then very deep sleep. Lucid dreaming, in which the dreams are always clear upon awakening, is very common. The plant is also known as dreamweed, and is used as a pipeweed. It is grown by the Solarians for their own personal use on the Outside Islands.
Shadow Nightbloom. A tall lagoon flower that produces a single blossom on a long reed-like stalk. The stalk tends to be pale green-white or yellow-white with one or two tapering leaves curved around it, and attaches to a bulb underneath the lagoon water. The flower is lush, with thick blue-black petals that form a graceful bell shape, and several dark red stamen filaments in the center. The filaments and pollen can be used as painkillers in small doses; too much causes unconsciousness or coma in humans. Found in swamps, wetlands and marshy lakes throughout the world.
Snakegrass. This grasslike plant has thin, dark green blades with yellow stripes down the centers. The juices are saplike and create a muscle-relaxing sedative, and can be brewed for teas and sleep-poison. When dried, the sap can be ground and made into tablets, which taste terrible but loosen cramped and stiff muscles and induce normal sleep. Snakegrass is most commonly found on the Tenza/Tasgard Plains.
Soapweed. A vibrant green plant with thick, lobelike leaves that release a sticky, clear, sharp-smelling sap when cut or squeezed. This sap is not edible; ingesting it will cause vomiting at best. However, it can be used as a sort of weak soap-wash if heated and diluted with water.
Spiritsoothe. Also called Little Red Star, Spiritbloom or Red Mirage, this is a small magically-crafted red flower meant to bind corpses and elementals temporarily. It only blooms for an instant when its seed is cast to the ground, but upon the moment of blooming it sends out already mature seeds of itself, which also germinate and bloom instantly. Thus, a single Spiritsoothe seed sets off a ripple of the small red blooms that can last indefinitely, coming and going in waves as it seeds itself further upon death. Usually a Spiritsoothe wave will last for about an hour before the flowers spread too far from the initial seeding and lose their potency; those blooms that are still near the initial seed can continue rippling for days. Spiritsoothe has a few very specific effects, for which it was crafted: it can calm angered elementals and Halion creatures around it, and it prevents the use of magic to animate or otherwise disturb the remains of any dead creature it touches. No information can be drawn from the remains, nor can necromantic magic be employed to abuse the remains. The secret of crafting Spiritsoothe seeds is jealously guarded from practitioners of 'True Magic' by the herb-witches that created it.
Winterleaf. Tough green leafy grasses with a translucent silvery layer on the top. The taste is bitter but slightly minty, very hard to chew, and stomach-settling. The leaves are often brewed into tea. Winterleaf grows in most places, and is often considered a weed.
Witch berries. Tiny sour blood-red berries, poisonous if not diluted. When diluted, used to kill internal parasites. From the annis/witch tree.
Yellowstar/Halci's Vengeance. Small tan-yellow mushroom with a puffball cap shaped like a rounded eight-pointed star. Releases spores when crushed, which will grow rapidly if lodged in moist tissue such as the lungs and causing choking, asphyxiation and death. Edible and harmless if cooked carefully. Usually grows in the deeper forests near springs and pools.
Zirberry/Seer's Berry. This thornless low bush has pale green leaves, brown bark and dark blue-green berries. The berries are sweet but hallucinatory, giving wild and beautiful images, strange nightmares, visions and occasional insanity, and are very addictive. The berries can be crushed, dried and made into pipeweed. Supposedly, they give prophetic dreams, but in truth all they give is a very dangerous hallucinatory high. Seer's berry grows in the Brother Nations, where it is used for prophetic purposes.
Drugs:
Ghost-dust. Addictive. Effect: Short-term euphoric high, with aftereffects including unconsciousness, amnesia and dissociative behavior. Overdose: Convulsions, brain damage.
Kistoia. Non-addictive. Effect: Mild hallucinations, with aftereffects including dizziness and nausea. Both effects and aftereffects stronger when taken as kistala, plus associated alcohol effects. Overdose: Vomiting, temporary amnesia.
Marokarashi. Addictive. Effect: Sharpened perception, increased confidence and belligerence, with aftereffects including clouded perception, depression and headache. Overdose: Convulsions, heart attack.
Seer's berry. Addictive. Effect: Hallucinations and 'prophetic dreams', with aftereffects including insomnia. Overdose: Coma, insanity.
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