MEDICINAL PLANTSThey can't talk, can't walk, and most are not purely magical, but each is very different from what you might be used to where you live.
Morning Tree
A rare, one might even say endangered tree, the Morning Tree is a bane to all evil things. It is tall but narrow, with yellowy-green deciduous leaves, each of which has long thin slits in it. These leaves turn a glowing orange before falling each winter. Morning Trees are long-lived, and can reach heights of up to 100'. It is usually found only in the mid-latitudes (Amos Woods, Sytar Forest, Melope Forest, etc.), but is highly adaptable to all but the coldest and hottest climes or the thinnest of soils. The tree is highly flammable, its wood is very soft (while attractively grained), and its fruit is a cluster of small purple berries which only squirrels seem to find palatable due to bitterness.
Thus the tree is seldom harvested, all the more so for its unique and valuable pollen it exudes all summer, every summer while it lives. The pollen is produced only it tiny quantities (and cannot be collected in any known fashion), but it is very foul in scent to all evil creatures and humanoids. Unless there is a strong breeze to blow the pollen rapidly away, all such creatures must save versus spell every round or suffer a penalty on all activities they undertake. This is due to the uncomfortableness and irritation the scent of the pollen causes them. It affects all such creatures in a 60' radius. The penalty is -1 during the day, and -2 during the night when the tree exudes more pollen. Once the saving throw is failed this penalty is in effect until the victim leaves the area for at least 1 turn.
Moreover, while the effects are not cumulative, evil creatures in the area of effect must continue to roll their saves every round, even if already affected by the penalty. This is because on any unmodified save of 1-4, the creature is afflicted as if struck by a forget spell (no save).
It is these effects, most pronounced at night, that give the tree its name: those who sleep under it are more likely to see the morning. It is rare or endangered because many creatures, particularly orcs, kill Morning Trees if they can. While the tree is seldom harvested, its wood is sometimes called for in the manufacture of certain magical items.
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Gahmey (aka Pumpkin Tree)
A relatively rare but highly versatile tree, it is found only in the Ardor Forest. It is tall (up to 160') with small leathery leaves that remain green and on the tree throughout the year (evergreen).
It also has an unique way of growing: it starts as a broad, "puffy" bush, which then is raised by the trunk over many years to about 40' in the air. At his point another "bush" of branches starts at the base, and in turn is pushed skywards as the trunk continues to grow up. Thus, a mature tree of 160' has an odd profile, with "puffballs" or clusters of branches at the top, and every 40' or so below that.
It prefers moist bottom-land soil, and in the rainy season in the Ardor Forest in produces many 4"-6" large seeds (that look and taste like small pumpkins, hence its other name). If they fall from the tree they burst and quickly start new trees, but most creatures (including local humans) find them palatable and harvest them before they fall. The wood is prized for its resistance to moisture and the fact that it resists barnacles - boat keels are often of Gahmey wood. Finally, the sap can be rendered to produce the mild narcotic drug Shakay.
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Ulluchu
Very rare and manifesting several unique characteristics, the Ulluchu tree and its fruit are often said to be mere legends. Found only in isolated patches in the Ardor Forest, it is sometimes mistaken for a tall old oak tree, but its leaves are fewer, thicker, and covered with fine hairs. The wood is not used for lumber (too soft and prone to rot), but the fruit it bears once every few years is valuable: inside the bitter olive-green orange-sized fruit is a single perfectly spherical pit. If baked hard within one day of falling from the tree in an oven it becomes a +1 sling stone (each tree will bear D12 fruit every D4 years).
Notably, the tree seems to like, and somehow attract, lightning strikes. If the tree has nearly mature fruit on it when struck (1 in D20 chance), the fruits fall off and if promptly baked hard will become +1, +3 vs. Evil sling stones. Interestingly, after a tree is struck by lightning its fuzzy leaves glow softly for 4D4 hours.
Finally, the sap of the tree can be boiled down and rendered to create a potent anti-coagulant poison. The process requires much sap from the same tree very quickly, invariably killing that tree, but produces one batch (D12+6) of doses.
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Silverfoil
A low, bushy plant, that can last for years but never gets much over 12" tall. It has many small, delicate leaves which have a mirror-like sheen while alive. It prefers warmer climes and plenty of sunshine (clearings for example), and each spring bears small white blossoms which have little scent and eventually create many tiny red berries.
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Honeyrod
A small flowering plant that grows in wetter, darker areas of forests that do not freeze during the winter. It flowers throughout the year, whenever its moist soil becomes dryer than usual. It sends up long (up to 3') tube-like flowers topped with bright orange petals and lots of pollen to attract insects to pollenate the one seed hidden inside.
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Bloodwood
Similar to its northern cousin the Trembling Aspen, groups of Bloodwood are very pretty in any breeze, their long slender silver leaves making the whole area shimmer with light. Preferring warmer climes (and only very mild winters), Bloodwood also requires wet or frequently moist soil. It is this moisture which supports its copious sap, which is a rich red colour (hence the tree's common name). It produces many small round brown nuts (called Bloodnuts) each Fall, which are edible, if somewhat bitter. Gnomes love these trees, calling them "Gambolers", and eating the nuts as a paste made from the boiled nuts. They spread this on bread with honey and call it "Gambol Bread".
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Razorthorn
A very hardy but slow growing plant, reaching about 15 cm in diameter at most. It has only 3 curved, low-laying leaves, that are edged with a very fragile but inbelievably sharp sides. Brushing alongside them can slice open even the toughest leather. It grows in northerly woods (most commonly throughout the Kingdom of Cardorna) that are rich in humus and other leaf litter. After the first frost it sends up a single gold flower, which if pollinated creates only a few seeds. However, these seeds are hardy too, and can last for decades on the forest floor until the right growth conditions again occur.
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Thunder Weed
A short-lived but prolific plant, it is found in Pine Forests across Trishore. Its lifespan is but a day or two, growing rapidly after a heavy rainfall or thunderstorm, usually after the soil has been dry for a while. Then, like a dandilion it shoots up stalks, in this case 4-5 with "puffs" of seeds which blow away. Then it dies.
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Tillen
A small (max 60') tree, with a tapering profile like a fir-tree. However, this tree is deciduous. Its leaves are triangular and grow one each on long thin stems, and they turn bright yellow before they fall each Fall. It is not a common tree, but being adaptable and avoiding only harsh winters and torrid summers it can be found in a broad belt across Trishore between 30° N and 40° N. In late spring it produces many pale red, bell-shaped flowers with a beautiful scent and lots of pollen (much loved by bees, etc.), which later ripens into small (1/4") fruits with a tiny indigestible seed. The fruit is eaten by many types of birds, which explains its broad distribution. The wood is too coarse for use, but the green leaf stems produce copious smoke if burned. The smoke is particularly irritating to the eyes, but if inhaled it is a very mild hallucinogen, and even stronger as the tree gets older. This smoke is used in many temples to Syphide.
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Waygold
This plant can grow to a main-sized bush, and its likes shade and soil that is seldom soggy. It is hardy enough to survive most climates but the very coldest and very hottest. Despite this hardiness and adaptability, it is not a common plant. It produces many tasty and nutritious berrys, but the seeds within do not survive passage through most creatures digestive tracts. Thus, few of these plants are actually replanted after feeding many hungry woodland creatures and even travellers. It is said that these plants ae not native to Trishore, but actually a gift from the Gypsy Queens.
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