Tome of Botanical Ancestry

The people of [place] rely on and treat plants as sacred. So much so that over time, they began identifying families with particular species. Its customary for them to grow this species anywhere they reside to honor the plant - for in ensuring the plant's well-being, they ensure the same of their family. Tomes of Botanical Ancestry became commonplace to compile the plant's needs and preferences for future generations. Over time other details became valuable too, and so the Tomes grew in size and content, its pages lovingly filled with collages of each family's past.
Because the plants are sacred, it is considered taboo to remove, destroy, or otherwise adversely impact the well-being of another's familial plant. Also taboo is living on a parcel of land containing another's plant. From this custom and these taboos arose disputes over the ownership of land. Seeing that each family's Tome contained such a detailed account of the family and plant's history dating back to the beginning of a household's existence, it was established as an official deed of ownership and has since been used to settle legal disputes concerning ownership and vandalism.
While revealing the Tome to those outside the family may be necessary in legal settings, it is generally a private document only shared with loved ones outside of the household - or in more elite circles, used to show off one's status and superiority over those with with fewer pages in their tomes. It is in these circles that adorning one's Tome is an expensive and socially necessary process.

Document Structure

Clauses

While the inclusion of content may vary from household to household, to be considered a proper Tome, each must contain sections detailing the following:
The family's ancestral plant - its needs and preferences, homes - when, where, and by whom each specimen was planted
Rivalries - any other households who have tampered with or harmed the plant to be remembered so long as each household exists
Household trees - the members of each household, when they join or leave and their causes for doing so, and details of when and for whom a copy of the Tome was created

Legal status

Though officially written land deeds and other documents of ownership exist in most governed bodies, they are utterly disregarded in [province/culture], as its people treat the Tomes with greater reverence. Here the Tomes are treated as the highest authority in settling disputes over properties, claiming a new property, or submitting claims of property destruction or vandalism.

Type

Record, Deed

Medium

Collage / Various