Violet Nightshade

Basic Information

Anatomie

The Violet Nightshade is a tiny herbaceous plant with a height of around 20 cm. The blossom has a violet to dark blue-ish colour and 4 petals that look similar to a cloverleaf. The leaves are a dark green with a lighter green on the underside, they have an elliptical form with the smaller ones on the base loonking more linear. The blossom droops a little bit.

Wachstumsrate & -stadien

The Violet Nightshade grows remarkably fast, but dies after one year. They grow during the spring, bloom in summer and distribute their pollen, they then die at the end of autumn. Even the best efforts in cultivation haven't come up with a way to save them through the winter.

Ökologie und Lebensräume

The Violet Nightshade is indigenous to the swamp area around @settlement. They thrive in areas with humid air and high amount of mineral in the earth. The plant can usually be found close to dead trees in the heart of the swamps or near areas where the ground water is closer to the surface.

Ernährung und Gewohnheiten

The plant only grows in very humid areas like swamps.

Additional Information

Domestizierung

The residents of the region tried various times to make the plant last through the winter without any success, making new cultivation each year an on-going struggle for the region.

Verwendung, Produkte & Verwertung

medical use

The Violet Nightshade contains the only known cure to West Swamp Fever , a disease caused by the spores of a fungus indigenous to the swamp region; the spores infest the lungs of the afflicted. A chemical compound in the plant sap of the Violet Nightshade is capable of destroying the membrane of the spores and effectively killing them. For maximum efficiency the sap is added generously to hot water, this mixture is then inhaled by the patient. This procedure has to be repeated for several weeks multiple times a day. Additionally to this the plant can also be used to produce a tea with a strong cough soothing properties, which is also used for the treatment of the West Swamp Fever.

The Mining

Not directly related to the Violet Nightshade but heavily affected by it is the mining of a very special ore that can only be found in the swamp region. The fungus that causes the West Swamp Fever made the mining of the ore in the past very dangerous and potentionally deadly because to reach the mountains containing the metal the miners had to wander through a very infested area. Therefore it was only mined to a very little extent even though it was one of the most effective ores that could be used in the arms production. After discovering the cure in form of the Violet Nightshade, the trade of the ore flourished making Ceaterra Empire one of the most influential countries in the region due to the need for the ore in the neighboring countries so as to not fall behind each other in case of war. This makes the Violet Nightshade one of the most important plants to protect in the eyes of the Ceaterra Empire who guard it's existence to ward of invasions by other countries which still believe that the West Swamp Fever always results in death.

Geographische Herkunft und Verbreitung

limited to the swamp area they originate from

Symbiotische und Parasitäre Organismen

The Violet Nightshade can be infected by other parasitic plant life but the importance of it ensures that the residents of the area never let the populations become to infested.

Wissenschaftlicher Name

Lavatera purpurea

Lebenserwartung

around 9 months

Erhaltungsstatus

This plant is under protection in the region it grows and actively cultivated as an herb against the West Swamp Fever.

Durchschnittliche Größe

15-30 cm