Saltcaps
Saltcaps are a type of myceloid which help dissolve salts and toxins in the Earth, either washing them deeper into the soil to leave arable topsoil, or discharging them through their fruiting bodies. Obviously these Mushrooms are not safe to consume, as their fruits tend to be rich in the toxins stripped from the earth. Any who have tried report them as tasting highly astringent and foul.
It is uncertain if Saltcaps were cultivated artificially or found in nature, but spore samples on Earth allowed the Ecological Revival Office to grow beds of them, and eventually plains, to turn the desertified San Joaquin region into arable land once again, especially when mixed with good practices of mulching and cultivation, and the ability of Torkh Sajhu Veath to turn acres of dirt at a time.
Malcolm stared out over the plain of caps and mulch, unsure to make of what she was seeing. The tops of the mushrooms had a crusting of salt growing upon them, and seemed dessicated by its presence.
She knelt down and plucked one, grimacing at the leathery skin. She tugged at its edges, causing the leather to rupture and bare the pale meat underneath. Dark stains of dirt smeared through the stalk, emitting a stink that made her mouth feel dry.
What is it doing?" She asked the Verin next to her.
"It's taking the salt out of the earth," He explained.
"So we can farm?"
"So you can farm."
"That's a miracle. How did you make them? Where did you find them?"
"I neither made nor found them. They were here when we arrived, and it was your people who showed me how to plant them. You, their children have forgotten, but I will always be here to remind you.
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