A Ghostwood is in fact a single organism, connected by a vast root network. Ghostwoods are notorious thanks to an autonomic vascular defense reaction marked by explosively rapid growth at a site of injury. This, in turn, explains the phenomenon of suddenly shrivelling saplings (as the organism reallocates expendable resources to defend its old-growth trees), and recurrent sightings of “axe-wielding dryads”.
Codex - Sunlight Miscellany
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It is not bright winter sun which lets Snowclot flourish, but rather the bodies of burrowing things trapped below. True, its velvet-red leaves quickly staunch bleeding, but take care— the tiniest scrape of prickly root or stem inflicts a terrible paralysis. Those afflicted, starving and thirsty, slowly turn to nourishing soil.
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A witch’s power is measured by the size and tenacity of her familiar. Few people know it, but there is a witch in Oregon who has Armillaria ostoyae (also known as Humunguos Fungus) as her familiar.
You might laugh at the Knights of the Flowers, with blossoms in their hair and their floral perfumes wafting around them … but when they become knights, each of them takes a seed into their body. A seed that grows into their flesh and might manifest as tough bark armor or thorny poison swords that grow out of their hands.
You want to be a craft beer brewer, you say? Well. Have you ever prayed to Ninkasi, the Mesopotamian goddess of beer? You should. Sing her Hymn over some hop seed during the new moon, and if you do it right, they will grow into something very fine. Very fine. You’ll make a billion bucks for sure. Never mind what happens if you say it wrong, what’s going to happen? You think an ancient Mesopotamian goddess will show up and eat you or something? That’d be ridiculous.
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The Brewer’s Nut is, in fact, a tumorous growth inspired by the sting of a Glower Wasp. The meat within may impart a wide variety of intoxicating effects unique to each tree upon which it is grown.
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A favoured weapon of the upper-crust assassin due to both its efficacious results and prohibitive cost, the dark red herb known as The Devil’s Breath instantly kills whomever’s name you chant when you burn it, regardless of their location - and, also, one other random person with whom the killer is familiar enough to make small talk.
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Many trees have adapted to survive wildfires. Some even shed flammable leaves to spread the flames and burn away competition. But with its extremely tall trunk and iron concentrations in its branches, the Lightning-rod Pine took evolution a step further. It has been very useful for building radio towers, but with the recent fire beetle infestation, it’s best to stay out of the woods.
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Siren Kelp - this kelp only grows in the tropical parts of the sea. The kelp will emit a whistling noise if near magical creatures, and moaning sound if in the presence of fiends. Siren Kelp must be kept damp and has the scent of spinach.
Wyrdwood - the wood from these shrubs is tinged orange with flecks of purple. Touching a living creature suffering from blindness, deafness, poison or disease will remove the illness completely, at the cost of one year of the weilders life (starting age 100).
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Hopeweed - small glittering thistles that grows wild on the steppes of the third circle. Escaped souls search out and painfully chew the spiked plants for sustenance and the brief glimmer it gives of the closest unguarded exit from Hell.
Clausermould - A mattle black growth that only blooms groundside in the aftermatch of an FTL drive explosion. Putting it in your mouth allows you to talk with someone else eating Clausermold with no time delay, whatever the distance. Once eaten becomes entangled with your subatomic structure and never stops growing.
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Dreadbloom is a rather plain-looking white wildflower, whose pollen causes feelings of terror and panic when inhaled.
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Maryland Creeper is a less well-known member of the genus Parthenocissus. Like its more famous cousin, it is a fast-growing climbing vine. The key difference is that it has a migratory root, and as such the plant itself can slowly but steadily travel as well as climb walls. The name has also been applied to the subject of a series of unsolved stranglings.
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Welcome to the neighborhood, my dear! So nice to see such a lovely person here … we rarely have new people, so please excuse our little oddities! Are you … No, no, I’m not going to ask all kinds of nosy questions, we have a lot of time getting to know each other! Please, take this little African Violet as a welcome gift! It doesn’t need much, it just needs to know someone is taking care of it … no, the leaves don’t look like ears to me, what a funny thing to say! Haha. Just take good care of it, dearie, and everything will be alright.
(For some reason, I’m hearing this in @Tylom’s nice old lady voice …)
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The Wax-tear Hyacinths grow over the graves that had no mourners, as though they were begging those who came not to forget the souls that died alone and unloved. Anyone who plucks one and eats it will be able to recall the memories of that life, but beware, for memories do not like to fade away.
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Skovstilhed moss is prized by assassins and thieves, not only for silencing their footsteps, but the aura of tranquility that hides their ill intentions. Reports that some who walk off in skovstilhed sole shoes never return are over-rated, even if leaves mysteriously show up in their path.
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Snarl Flax has a reputation for having incredible strong fibres. The problem is getting them untangled enough so that you weave with it. And of course the strands knot around each other as well.
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“Magic” beans are ordinary-looking pulses that, when planted, grow suddenly and explosively into a huge tree-like beanstalk. Note that the beans of the “magic” beanstalk are not always “magic” beans, or else there might be entire forests of the things, which would be ridiculous.
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“Now, this is a curious one. As with all rooted species, its roots grow where you can’t see, but, if you can coax them up out of the ground, it’s a fabulous source of biomass. Observe: when you trim any flowering branch, no matter how much you trim, the roots experience a tenfold growth. Fascinating.”
(with apologies to Rainer Maria, the emo band, not the partially-named poet)
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Found only deep underground, the psychic Darkflowers appear as beautiful jet-black roses on writhing, thorny, pale white stalks. According to legend, the juice from their taproot can cure all ailments. A Darkflower will not allow its root to be taken, but a persuasive telepath might be able to convince one to give up some root willingly.
[Note: Based on a monster I designed for AD&D, which was published in a local fanzine back in 1991.]
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A sign that a world had once been colonized by Terrans is the presence of low-growing yellow flowers with saw-toothed leaves. This green plant thrives on nearly any planet with liquid water, gaseous carbon dioxide, and silicate soil. The ubiquity of this species on so many worlds may be due the irrestibility of gently blowing off the “head” of its ripened, wind-borne seeds.
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Aloe Viras are your friendly green friend who lends you a hand around the house! These humanoid plant hybrid servants are worth every penny you pay for them, and the rumors of them talking about former lives are just slander from the competition!
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“Emma’s Zoo” is a whimsical vine that, if nurtured and shaped while young, can give like to other plants it has become wrapped around. Daisy Rabbits, Dragonfruit Dragons, one dedicated lover even managed to create a Dande-Lion!
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Myna’s tongue is a low-lying herbaceous plant with roots shaped like corkscrews. Chewing the root causes your voice to change - in pitch, rhythm, speed, and even accent. Dealers collect dried Myna’s tongue root and for the right price can enable a specific person’s voice to be imitated.
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