vetirbō urkēdî (/veˈtɪəbəʉ ɜːˈkiːdɑe/)

The Arinetsē name translates to 'vegetable orchid'. (The plural is vetirbō urkēdîle.) The species is a hybrid of Gastrodia sesamoides and Gastrodia kuroshimensis. It was created in 42598 UTD after an Arinean biologist and farmer brought back a few specimens of G. kuroshimensis from her trip to northern Ekloac. The Arineans had already been growing G. sesamoides as food for several decades, but it requires sunlight and therefore could not be grown underground.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The vetirbō urkēdî is a leafless, terrestrial mycotrophic plant with an edible pseudobulb. The burgundy-coloured pseudobulb can be up to 11cm long and 3cm in diameter. The light brown stem is 15cm-45cm tall and bears 3-21 cleistogamous club-shaped flowers. The pale cinnamon brown flowers are 1.5cm-2.5cm long.

Ecology and Habitats

Vetirbō urkēdîle get all their nutrients from the sapotrophic fungi they parasitise – they neither require sunlight nor photosynthesise in any capacity. The species was created and grown by the Arineans as a food source; they were planted as a crop in the underground district of Erthunar.

Additional Information

Domestication

Specimens of G. sesamoides with the biggest pseudobulbs and G. kuroshimensis with the largest and most numerous flowers were painstakingly bred together to create the vetirbō urkēdî.
The hybridisation process was particularly difficult because of the fact that G. kuroshimensis flowers never open.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The pseudobulb can be cooked and eaten like a potato, although it tastes a bit more like parsnip. The flowers are also edible and can be eaten raw, although they taste better fried.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Vetirbō urkēdî forms a parasitic relationship with various Arboreomorph species (often those that are sapotrophic).

Scientific Name

Gastrodia kuroshimensis × sesamoides

Geographic Distribution

• Arine

Related Technologies

• Underground Agricultural Practices