Feckleweed

"Don't worry about the smell. We're right next to the feckleweed gardens. You'd think that would be comforting to you!"
~Saffron Hayell, courtesan of the Whispering Bed

Basic Information

Anatomy

Feckleweed is a short fern that grows 4-9 stalks lined with glossy, bitter leaves. In the spring, it flowers with red pinecone-like buds which harden once fertilized and drop to the ground. Red roots extend into the ground growing no more than a quarter inch thick.

Genetics and Reproduction

The flowers are fertilized through pollen in the air and delivered by insects and small birds between plants. When fertilized, these flowers harden and fall to the ground, where they are subject to gravity and animal activity to deposit them into new locations.

Growth Rate & Stages

A newly planted cone will develop into a 4-stalk plant within a year, and grow a new stalk every year for five years after which the plant will reliably die.

Ecology and Habitats

Feckleweed rarely grows in the wild because it requires well aerated, fertile soil and plenty of water.

Biological Cycle

Feckleweed curls into itself and hybernates in the winter. Due to the resulting shortage of contraception, this has led to the insult Winter Child, meaning someone who is clearly not wanted.

Additional Information

Domestication

Feckleweed is almost always found in gardens.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Feckleweed is a contraceptive, and a normal dose of bitter tea every day prevents pregnancy efficiently and with no side effects.
Alternatively, a large dose (roughly ten to fifteen times the concentration used normally) can cause Feckleweed Poisoning. This has lent the plant the slang title "the Princeslayer" due to rumored use in harem politics of the Elvenkind queens.

Scientific Name

Hayes

Conservation Status

Feckleweed is rarely found in the wild naturally. It is most often grown in the gardens of Cunning Folk or prostitutes.