Deerhorn Plantain

Basic Information

Anatomy

Deerhorn Plantain grow on relatively short, broad-leaved palms. The trees generally reach around 12 feet in height, and the leaves spread out in a rough circle between 10-14 feet in diameter. Each tree generally produces a half-dozen flowers, each about the size of a man's head, which hang down below the leaf cover. These flowers mature into clusters of plantains, which are referred to as "racks", with around 4-8 plantains per cluster.
The plantains begin as dark green buds, about the size of a man's finger, with a pattern of nodules across it. As the plantain matures, these nodules grow out into branches away from the main body, giving the mature plantain the look of a deer's antlers. The pale tan colour the ripe plantain takes on further helps the comparison.

Ecology and Habitats

The Deerhorn Plantain is native to the jungles of southern Eira, where it has long been cultivated by the Lizardfolk tribes and pre-Republic clans that now make up the Republic of Namu. The plant deals poorly with competition, as whilst it is able to grow with patchy sunlight, the plantains it bears will fail to ripen without a clear sky above it.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The fruit of the Deerhorn Plantain are used both green and mature as a staple food by the Republic of Namu.
When the branches have formed but the plant is still green, the skin can be removed and the flesh grated and dried to create flour. This flour is often used to create Fuwafu, a fluffy bread prepared by steaming in plantain leaves.
Once mature, the flesh is far too soft to be grated, but recipes such as simply baking the fruit whole and peeling away the skin, or slicing the peeled fruit into rings and frying it in hot oil, are popular across Southern Eira.