Styweed

Styweed is a common herbaceous plant, also known as pigweed, stysickle or sickleweed. It is the most famous and well-known of the Sussispheria genus, despite perhaps being the most humble and plain of the genus' described species. Native to Southern Aresia, it is a useful herb used for cooking, alchemy and medicinal purposes.

Description

Styweed reaches a maximum height of around 30cm while flowering. It typically grows from a singular taproot, bearing broad, sickle-shaped leaves. The foliage usually spreads more horizontally than vertically, but the plant is incredibly versatile and will grow accordingly to reach light. The plant produces a single, tall and hollow stem proudly displaying a densely packed, ball-shaped purple floret. This floret turns into a ball-shaped seedpod containing hundreds of hard, tiny grey seeds. The seeds are perfectly spherical, and roll quickly and distantly with very little disturbance.

Distribution and Habitat

Native to Southern Aresia, styweed grows rampantly throughout all of Sedia, and any areas of Southern Virias where the weather is warm enough to sustain it. It grows as an introduced species in many parts of the Azure Isles and along some coastal areas of Osmen. Despite its name, styweed does not only grow in pigsties. Styweed often goes unnoticed in the woodland areas where it is found naturally; its single, small flower often easily missed in the Sedia's dense springtime floral show.
The styweed's hard seeds are designed to scatter onto the ground and roll between blades of grass and other plants, where they are accidentally eaten, kicked, or otherwise spread further by grazing animals. These seeds easily pass through pig digestive systems, and where pigs are allowed to graze freely or hunt for truffles, the flowers often follow. Styweed is often found in moist pigsties where they more easily stand out, as well as in sheep pens. It's an incredibly hardy plant, and will bounce back easily after being trampled or overwatered, allowing for growth in strange and opportunistic places.

Uses

Culinary

Styweed, despite its less-than-appetising name, is a versatile herb often known as a poor-man's spinach. The small leaves aren't as ideal for salads or as vegetables as leafier plants like spinach or cabbage, but make a very good substitute in a pinch. They have a quite pungent sweet, floral, peppery flavour which intensifies when dried. This makes the plant being more useful as a dried herb, tea or flavourant of wines and beverages.
The flowers only bloom for around a week each year, and have a have a lemony, citrus tang when eaten whole. They are are often enjoyed as a short-lived, springtime treat by children, though over-indulgence in the flowers can cause stomach upsets.

Medicinal

Styweed has been collected and used by Sedian and Veridian wood elves for thousands of years. The root bulbs can be ground into a paste and dissolved into water or alcohol to make a potent solution effective for inducing vomiting. The plant itself normally only causes slight stomach discomfort if eaten in large quantities, and doesn't normally have any notable emetic effects. However, when concentrated and given in a large, sudden dose in this way, it agitates the stomach lining rapidly. This is often kept as an emergency solution for treatment of poisoning. As a side effect, the solution also tends to cause further gastrointestinal upset for the following few days.

Alchemy

Styweed is not inherently magical by alchemical standards and has a very low arcane output compared to similarly sized plants. However, this makes it a very useful flavouring to add to magically-based potions without causing arcane-based accidental reactions. It is often added to healing potions to improve and disguise the flavour of some ingredients, increasing their drinkability.

Schollarly Name: Sussispheria familiaris
Common Names: Styweed, pigweed, stysickle, sickleweed
Conservation: Least concern
Range: Southern Aresia, introduced in some other locations.