Random Peculiar Plant ideas that don't work with my setting but are fun to write up.
Book Leaf
A strange plant that randomly sprouts in places of chaotic magic flows. Its large leaves have texts written on it, as the leaves grow, so do the paragraphs. Each leaf stops growing once its contents cover an entire page. Eventually the entire plant will stop growing, at which point its leaves cover an entire book, that can be read in growth-order of the leaves.
In some cases, historians have confirmed a Book Leaf's contents matched an existing book word-by-word. In other cases, the contents appeared to belong to books lost to history, that historians only knew of because of references in other books. Occasionally, a Book Leaf will be written in a dead language.
A damaged Book Leaf does not regrow, so whenever one is discovered, monks are sent out to copy its contents. Attempts to reproduce them have all failed: They grow no seeds, root cuttings only live for a short while, stem cuttings only grow some leaves and the original plant will be missing those exact pages.
In-Memoriam
Also nicknamed "Forget-them-not", these berry-bushes only can be planted on fresh human graves. When the bush grows berries, consuming them will give the consumer memories of the deceased. Ripe berries largely vary in size and colour, and researchers have managed to mostly confirm theories relating these characteristics to the received memories.
In-Memoriam bushes can generally live up to fourty years before they stop growing fruits and begin to wither. However, stem cuttings can be used to bypass this lifespan, while the new bush will still grow the original memories. Root cuttings act the same as a normal planted seed, growing memories of their current deceased instead of the original.
In some countries, In-Memoriam bushes are used to allow the rulers access to experiences of their predecessors. Important Saints may also have their bushes repeatedly cut and regrown, though usually the berries are strictly supervised, as to restrict what memories are made available. Dark secrets are avoided, and so are moments of self-doubt.
Consuming multiple berries at the same time will cause diluted memories that are hard to follow. Processed berries grant no memories at all and taste foul, while picked berries must be consumed soon after, as they lose their strength over time.
Meanwhile, no animal has ever been found willing to consume berries from an In-Memoriam bush. Several force-feed attempts have failed, and of course it would be impossible to establish if the animal experienced any memories.
Stranglefield
A peculiar type of ivy, Stranglefields are creeper plants that can cover large areas of land, with some known cases exceeding a radius of 900 paces. Their stems are hard to see in grassfields, but are sticky and try to grasp any lifeform that walks through them. When caught, many animals will fail to escape and starve to death, feeding the Stranglefield with nutrients. Even humans may fail to escape, depending on how old and strong the Stranglefield is.
Larger fields have stronger stems and vines, but spread slower. Stranglefields normally don't climb, but if attempts are made to block their spread, they will climb the barriers and may even end up choking victims instead. As such, physical containment appears to be impossible. Only fire can temporarily suppress them.
Because Stranglefields grow deep roots, even when the land they cover is burned down, they will regrow over time. However, each Stranglefield originates from strange cracked stones buried at their center, which can be destroyed through a mixture of brute force, fire, and acid. Doing so will cause the Stranglefield to wither and slowly die.
There have been times where a cavalry charge ended up caught in a Stranglefield, which in at least two documented cases led to the entire unit being lost. Furthermore, some armies have used Stranglefields for defensive tactics. As such, scouts must always pay attention to the ground as well.
It is unknown what causes Stranglefields to grow. Some theorize their stone seeds spread, others suspect the seeds are already present in the soil, but are activated through unknown circumstances. While the truth is unknown, in the end any tall grass can be dangerous as Stranglefields may have appeared there.
Labyrinth Wall
Thornbushes that grow in the form of living mazes, with walls that slowly grow from three feet to up to thirty feet tall. These mazes change over time, as the bushes will form openings or close them, making them very hard to navigate. The only unchanging area of a Labyrinth Wall is its center area, which always is a small clearing of sorts.
Labyrinth Walls grow dark-brown flowers that eventually grow bitter brown fruits. If a living being ends up stabbed by the thorns, their blood will end up turning nearby flowers deep red instead. Blood on the ground will have no such effect, even if large amounts are spilled. Red flowers will grown bitter-sweet red fruits, which are considered a delicacy by nobility.
Some Labyrinth Walls are home to predators, that consider them a safe lair. Especially mazes with trees at the center are extremely popular. When a predator has claimed human life, tracking them down through the maze is extremely dangerous. Only hunting dogs can help track the predator and take it down, without getting lost or being ambushed.
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