Richfruit

Richfruit is the name given to a tomato-like fruit that grows exclusively in the jungles within the Elven Empire.

Anatomy

Fully grown richfruit plants look similar to bamboo trees and grow several stories high. They have thick stalks around 4-6in in diameter with broad leaves at the top. Smaller leaves split from the ridges in the stalk, and from these tiny branches bloom large flowers that eventually grow into richfruit.

Richfruit when perfectly ripe are half the size of an average adult human's skull. They range from dark navy blue to bright sky blue in colour with a dried, crunchy husk of a yellowed colour at the bottom of them. Richfruit flesh is soft and gives lightly when pressure is applied.

When opened, strings of black seeds are seen clinging to where the stem joins the fruit. Richfruit is very juicy when ripe, and the juice is a clear translucent blue colour. The skin isn't very thick, but isn't easy to accidentally pierce.

Growth Stages

Seeds germinate about a week after they're planted in fresh soil. They grow thick roots and a bulb that keeps them in place (which takes around two weeks) before shooting up rapidly over the next seven to nine weeks. Stalks take about two months to grow to full size, and then another month to start producing flowers, then fruit.

Fruit is produced for a month (usually one richfruit every three days or so) before the stalk begins to look shrivelled and brown. After this period, the stalk is usually consumed by a fungus that can infect surrounding crops, and falls to the ground.

Because of the danger this poses, farmers often uproot the stalks just as they begin to see them wither and till the soil over again.

Reproduction

Richfruit flowers are huge and a pale white to light yellow in colour. Male and female flowers grow off of the same stalk, and are pollinated by bugs, birds, and farmers. Farmers try to breed richfruit for plumpness and sweetness with varying success. Some farmers closer to the cities have started to try to breed genes for shorter stalks so harvesting is quicker and easier, but the genes for this seem tied to much shorter harvest seasons.

Seasonal Cycles

Richfruit grows best if planted in spring and summer, allowing most elven societies to get two good growing seasons out of their richfruit crops. The cold doesn't tend to bother richfruit plants, but the lack of sun prevents them from growing many richfruit, and those they do grow are small and mostly full of seeds. Some farmers grow winter richfruit if they want to expand their farms in the coming seasons or are trying to breed for a specific trait.

Uses

Richfruit is used in many elven culinary recipes. Its flesh and meat are used as a base for soups, stews, and broths, put in salads, used caramelised in desserts, and is even eaten raw as it is juicy and semi-sweet. Its seeds are spicy and are ground and used as a seasoning. The roots are thick but spoil quickly, and can be cooked or eaten raw.

Richfruit stalks and leaves are used for their fibres, which are strong and can be made into cloth. This cloth isn't comfortable to wear for long periods of time, but makes for excellent flags, banners, canopies, or anything that will be outside for a long while.

by Drake

Alternate Names
Droolfruit, Skyfruit
Rarity
Elven Empire - Common
Anywhere Else - Rare
Lifespan
3-5 months
Average Height
8ft