A Desert Herbal (2,306 words)
Author: Plilt
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Pith-Bone
Of the many cacti that grace the desert, none are better than the pith-bone. Native to the wetter slopes on the sky islands and the eastern deserts, the traveler may find them growing around pit-wells even in the desert's drier reaches, alongside goldenspray and rootmeat. Tall and straight they stand, with many columns sprouting from the same roots. Come the monsoon season, great purple blossoms dripping with nectar sprout from their sides and turn to fleshy scaled fruit in a matter of days. The nectar weavers are much more aggressive during this time, defending the flowers fanatically. As refreshing is the nectar is, I advise approaching only if necessary. The fruit may be eaten fresh or turned into a jam. Even the yaka and Spider People may benefit, since dunetoppers may be lured into ambush by its scent. These, I'm told, are good eating.
As delicious as the fruit is and as handsome as the cacti are, the real prize lies within the plant: the lightest, strongest cactus ribs in all the desert. Though not as strong as metal or bamboo, they're lighter and better suited for our climate. No matter how much the sun beats down on them, they will not splinter nor turn scalding hot. Dunewalkers made from them are true children of the desert and the wind-spirits love them for it.
To harvest the ribs, you should wait until the branch begins to wither. Wild ones may be centuries old by this point; the thirstier breeds grown at pit-wells grow much faster and can reach ten armspans in as many years. Slice into the soil around the branch before uprooting it, and water the rest of the branches lest your children's pith-bone sicken. Knock the spines off and strip off the flesh until only the rib remains, then let it dry in the sun for three days, turning it regularly to prevent warping. On the third day the ribs will be dry enough for construction.
Pith-bone is resistant to most disease, but the gray-feathered weaver will burrow into the cacti for nesting. This warps the shape of the ribs. Yaka-cloth is sufficient to discourage them, as they are repelled by reflective objects. Outside the confines of a pit-well, hang strips of it on any branches being grown for harvest.
Goldenspray
Gnarled goldenspray is a frequent sight throughout the desert. The pale-leaved trees can survive off almost no water but tolerate more frequent and heavier rains, so can sometimes be found even in woodland glades on the sky islands. When the rains come, the short trees (a mere five armspans tall at most) are covered in brilliant yellow flowers. Goldenspray watered regularly will flower throughout the year. When pressed and fermented these flowers yield a potent yellow dye. The dye must come from their nectar, since the sugar silk of sweetspinners is a yellow color when they feast on goldenspray. And they love the flowers, so I advise keeping colonies near goldenspray patches. I've always had the best luck spiderkeeping this way.
After the rains are over, goldenspray produce hundreds of jet black seedpods. The pod is too tough and fibrous, but the seeds can be ground into flour and used to make a very filling flatbread. If regularly watered the tree will produce a good harvest of seedpods year-round. Unfortunately, the tree is intolerant of shade. While a frequent sight near pit-wells, they have to be placed around the exterior or in spots not covered by the canopy. Darkening leaves are the first sign of trouble, but flower and seedpod production declines quickly thereafter.
It is possible to use yaka-cloth canvases to redirect light onto goldenspray. Some farmers swear by this method, but I've rarely found it useful so recommend it only as a last resort. Instead, simply ensure the trees have enough light to start with. Goldenspray are productive enough even outside of pit-wells; even if they do not produce quite as many seeds it is better to plant them outside the pit-well entirely and save the space within for more sensitive plants.
Rootmeat
Large-leafed and with an enormous fleshy tuber, rootmeat grows in wetter soils near rivers, near seeps in the karst, and in the woodlands on the sky islands. It is another staple crop and one of the few yaka and the Spider People can eat. They say the root tastes somewhat like meat, even if it's not as filling as true flesh. We kah-rem can eat the rootmeat's leaves, though they taste bitter to us. For all that no one really likes rootmeat, it's so useful that it's commonly grown in pit-wells anyway.
Insect pests plague rootmeat--for all most of us hate the taste, insects seem to love it. Sweetspinners usually kill intruding pests, but some rootmeat pests secrete a honeydew that sweetspinners find delicious. These are soft-bodied and spraying them with soap will kill most of them, but it will also kill any nearby sweetspinners. If run-off isn't carefully controlled, the soap can enter the pit-well and taint the water. Consider moving earth to divert water away from the pit-well before spraying them down, and use the gentlest soap you can find.
Marrowwood
Like a yaka cracking a bone between their teeth, we have to work to eat marrowwood. But it's worth it. Marrowwood grows on in the sky islands' woodlands and can reach twenty armspans high; it's impossible to grow as a crop. The tree is prized, though, because the smaller branches have an edible starchy pith. When cracked open it can be easily scooped out and eaten raw, or dried and used as flour.
The wood is of no great value and I recommend against cutting the tree. Instead, only trim limbs narrower than the width of an arm (wider branches have too little pith to be worth the effort); the ones about the width of two fingers have the best quality pith. Take a pole-ax or find a good climber, since these are usually near the top of the tree. The tree will regrow so long as enough leafy branches are left.
As marrowwood likes cooler climates, it grows mostly on antisunward slopes, though on the higher mountains, where there's alpine antisunward, you can find it sunwards. It usually won't grow on the karst, but there are a few pockets that have enough soil and the right climate for them. At the lowest elevations of its range it clings to the rivers.
Redheart
A delicacy of the coastal desert, redheart is a truffle that grows amongst the dune-grasses. It is said that a redheart the size of a fist is worth as much as the best dunewalker. Having been lucky enough to try a sliver once, it's worth it. The taste is rich and savory, with a powerful fragrance. Some of the people near the coast have tried to encourage the truffle to grow by planting more dune-grasses, but they've had no luck so far.
Redheart should be harvested before it develops holes. Once it has, the flesh is dry, papery, and tasteless. The scent remains for a while, though, and the color remains the same. There is a brisk trade in powdered overripe redheart that's passed off as the ripe variety, sold to poorer folk who want to celebrate a joining.
Thalo
On the grasslands of the sky islands and where desert turns to savannah, thalo is abundant. The grass is instantly recognizable even from a distance; there is a reddish sheen to it. Grazers see this and know to avoid it, because chewing it brings strange visions. The people of the desert are drawn to it for the same reason. Some say thalo brings a magician closer to the spirits or provides bursts of artistic inspiration, but most chew it because of the visions it brings: strange lights, geometric patterns, voices, and sometimes even ethereal figures or landscapes. I myself have seen visions of vast salt flats and of mudflats where it always rained.
A thalo tea is often brewed for consumption during storytelling circles, with one part goldenspray nectar and two parts ground reeb seeds mixed in. Combined they moderate the effect on the mind but strengthen the visions, putting the drinker in something like a waking dream. As the story is told, the listeners will see--and sometimes even feel--it happening.
Thalo should never be swallowed. The grass is safe to chew, even to yaka (who claim to get the most vivid visions), but causes vomiting when eaten. In particularly bad cases, this can cause dehydration. Some insects can eat thalo. These are safe to eat and don't give visions.
Despite the best efforts of farmers, thalo has never been cultivated. Sown seeds sprout but quickly die; mature transplants begin yellowing within days. The grass doesn't retain its properties for long once harvested. Any who want to partake need to journey to where it grows.
Brown liver-spot
Only on the highest antisunward slopes of the karst does brown liver-spot grow. It forms a thick encrusting layer on the stone. The species' cousins are toxic, so know it by its patterning: irregular dark brown splotches on a light brown background. When crushed and made into a poultice, it can be applied to wounds to treat even the worst infections. Change the poultice at least every three days. It will not treat sickness if eaten.
Brown liver-spot grows very slowly. To maintain the lichen-fields we have to grind it up and mix it with pulverized rock and milk, then paint the mixture on newly bare sections. Similar techniques work on a wide range of lichen species and have allowed us to keep the same lichen-fields active for centuries.
Dullweed
Bane and blessing to the injured, in low doses dullweed tea makes the drinker's world dim. In higher doses, it sends them into dreamless sleep. Even higher doses kill. Surgeons often use the plant on their patients and most will swear by it, but unfortunately some become addicted after waking and seek out the weaker teas even when not injured. Their reflexes and senses dull and in time they develop a resistance to the drug, so seek higher and higher doses. Know them by the bitter scent on their breath.
Yaka and the Spider People are particularly sensitive to the effects of dullweed and they should never be given enough to drive them to sleep. It can be used when treating them, but use it sparingly and administer it slowly. They will experience violent nausea after the effects of the drug end, so addiction among the two species is virtually unknown.
Dullweed grows in pockets on the karst pinnacles and is easily identified by its yellow flowers and narrow dull white leaves. In older times it was allowed to grow freely, but unscrupulous herbalists deliberately addicted their patients. Now the herbalist guilds keep the best locations to find it secret and harshly punish any of their kind who trade it.
Waxgrass
One of the few grasses that grows in the drier parts of the desert. Its pale green blades provide a splash of color to relatively barren patches. Unlike most grasses, its blades are stiff and inflexible and this is because they are covered with a thick layer of wax. The wax is so thick that it makes the dark green grass blade appear silvery.
When the grass is tied in bundles, weighed down with stones, and then boiled in water, the wax comes off and can be easily skimmed off of the surface. It can be used for candles and as a polish. Objects coated with it resist the sun and dessication, so it's sometimes applied to bamboo dunewalkers used outside the fog desert.
Yaka kelp
Instantly recognizable due to the similarity in scent with the yaka themselves, yaka kelp can be found washed up on the coast after a storm. We know little about how it grows under the water, but the sections we find can reach ten armspans in length. It is a dark reddish color and tastes salty. Livestock, particularly dongo, feed readily on it and we kah-rehm find it delicious as well. Children raised eating it never suffer goiter and great quantities of dried yaka kelp are imported to the inland areas.
Yaka kelp has another use as well. When crushed and boiled, it yields a brilliant crimson pigment that does not fade with light or time. This is used in many dishes, but also used to dye cloth or in paints. Dunewalkers along the fog desert are often painted bright red using yaka kelp.
Sunpads
While not very useful, the sunpads are so distinctive they must be mentioned. One of the few plants that grows amongst the eastern ergs, for most of the year sunpads lie buried beneath the sands. But when the monsoon comes and fills up the spaces between the dunes, the sunpads sprout and send stalks above the water. Within days they grow enormous pale green leaves that shade the lagoons. Other stalks then grow from the root system to the water surface, each tipped in a massive bud that opens to produce a yellow flower that floats on the water's surface.
Crab larvae--including titan crawlers--use their stalks as shelter and the crabbing is always good near them densest growth. The larger crabs and the serpents of the dunes will linger close to the flowers to try and hunt any of the nectar-drinking birds that pollinate the flowers, but they cannot climb onto the thinner stalks that rise high into the air. The eastern erg's birds often use these as nesting sites.
Occasionally they are grown as an ornamental in pit-wells, and they do help keep the water clean. Their leaves can be used as a sunshade if yaka-cloth is not at hand. But they're not edible even to us kah-rehm.