Black Isheif

This long, black skinned root vegetable has a slightly acidic, peppery taste. While not a highly popular vegetable, it is cheap and readily available. It is also able to be roasted, ground up with select other ingredients, and then mixed into a cheap narcotic.

Basic Information

Growth Rate & Stages

Seeds germinate and take root after 10 days, so long as they are in moist soil. Once they take root, the first sprout usually breaks ground within a week, and the plant can be harvested within one month of planting. When the plant is roughly 8 months old it grows a single seed filled stalk, which dries out and spreads the fluffy white seed pods through the air. Carried by the wind these 30 to 50 seeds float on the breeze until they find purchase in soil, and begin to grow.

Ecology and Habitats

Grows primarily in temperate and semi-tropical climates. Can grow in nearly any quality or type of soil, with minimal water.

Biological Cycle

New sprouts can take root and grow year round, but plants typically produce and release seeds in the Summer and autumn months. While the plant grows well year round, it does tend to grow fastest in the rainy spring months.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Easily grown, and readily available, this vegetable is used in a large number of peasant dishes... as well as some less ethical uses.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Widespread, this vegetable can be found growing in most parts of the world. It can also be found growing wild in may temperate and subtropical forests and grasslands.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

While not incredibly common, there are species of beetle that burrow into the root, eating it from the inside. This can quickly cause the loss of entire fields of Black Isheif if the infestation is not found and destroyed quickly.

Scientific Name

Mávri Isheif ríza

Lifespan

1 year

Average Height

10 to 12 inches above ground, 1 to 3 feet underground.

Average Weight

1 to 3 pounds

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Green and grey leafy stalks growing above ground. Black skinned root, with a waxy white interior of the tuber.