Lore: Flora

Surprisingly, even with the non existent amount of sunlight and Gwi-ma’s persistent habit of sucking the land dry, the Demon world boasts a plethora diverse native flora.

Characterized by temperate forests with a mix of evergreen pines and deciduous trees like maple and oak, much of the Demon Realm’s flora that surrounds the realm, or at least the realm relative to the circumference of Gwi-ma’s territory, is familiar to those who use to live on earth, appearing to be variants of those native to the range of Earth Realm’s Korean Territory, mixed with forests rich in Demon-realm biodiversity due to the territories semi-mountainous terrain.

Deciduous forests often feature trees such as those belonging to oaks, maples, alders while pines, along with spruces, larches, and yews, dominate the landscape.

Because Gwi-ma’s territory also houses several large bodies of fresh water, where due to constant flow, the majority of this side of the forest has long since become submerged; hollow, rotted logs line the banks of many of the river delta’s, the silty flow impeded further by haphazard dams of wood, bark, and various forms of leaf-litter stuck together house native variations of water-plants such as moss, lotus, Water Lily and Hyacinth and Mareum (Korean Water Chestnut). In addition, native species of Demon Realm Flowers also include rare species like Celestial lotus.

Celestial Lotus, also known as Tears of God Flowers, are otherworldly bright white/bluish flowers revered by the hunters of Korea as sacred with many who consider them bearers of omens and signs of sanctity. They are often seen as special, and because they are also rare and hard to grow, many who come across them do not pluck them unless absolutely needed.

The most notable traits of Celestial Lotus includes the low hum it produces, its glow, and its unique magical properties, hence its use in potions and special ingredients. These plants also do not require sunlight to grow, so it can be found in locations above or below ground with limited light, but they require a lot of water and are hard to cultivate as they also prefer acidic soil to grow, thriving in soil with a low pH (4.0–5.5), requiring the acidic conditions to absorb nutrients effectively.

In addition Soil only becomes naturally acidic primarily through high rainfall (leaching), which washes away basic nutrients like calcium and magnesium, replacing them with hydrogen and aluminum ions, so these plants are normally found by running water. Other natural causes include the decomposition of organic matter (releasing organic acids) and the weathering of acidic parent materials (such as granite or sandstone)