Wood Melon

More than one place has been saved from starving by finding an orchard of these. Still a pain to prune, though.

— Chandra, Awakened Hunter

Wood Melons are part of the Elemelon family of fruits and draws from the element of wood, with all its power of growth and vitality. Wood Melons grow the fastest, the largest and the most spectacular, often turning becoming covered in colorful flowers as they grow to maturity. They're eaten by a great many different beasts in the wild and enjoyed as a staple in parts of the Dreaming-World.

Description

Wood Melons are vibrantly green fruit with an uneven shell. They grow larger than any other melon from flower-covered stems. Small flowers bud on the fruit itself, blooming every summer. In both cases, the flowers come in every color and kind, with any local flora often taking to the fruit. The flesh of the fruit is a light to dark green with light green seeds similar in appearance to tiny acorns. It is firm, but chewy with a high water content.
The areas where the Wood Melon grows tend to become blooming groves, full of all kind of plants and then the animals that feast on them. Even though this abundance of growth can obscure the Wood Melons that grow in the wild, those who know what to look for can pick an Wood Melon orchard out at a distance.

Traits

The flesh of the Wood Melon has a strong, fruity smell that starts sharply sweet and mellows as it goes deeper into the fruit. It is highly nutritious and when left within their shell last for a long time. These traits make them ideal to store over hard winter months or on long voyages. They grow fast and to enormous size, but their narrative of fecundity can be a bane as well as a boon as orchards become difficult to keep tidy.
Wood Melons grow almost everywhere outside the extremes, but do best in temperate to tropical climates. They favor wooded areas and their roots often mingle with the rest of the forest around them. Farms of Wood Melons must take care to deal with the animals who like to meal out of the Wood Melons.

Story & Narrative

Wood Melons have an almost singular narrative focus on fecundity and vitality. They grow, they encourage growth, and everything that eats them in the wild seem to grow bigger. While this effect isn't noticable on people, animal Sleepers who make their homes near Wood Melon orchard are almost always larger than they would otherwise be and sometimes vastly larger.
Other common narratives include:
The Starving Village with failing crops and dire straits, whose future depends on the discovery of wild Wood Melons.
Buzzing Hives of enormous insects that have begun to harry the surrounding countryside after generations of dining on Wood Melons.

Elemelons

The Elemelons are a family of fruit in Quentriandal that consist of the water melon, the earth melon, fire melon, air melon and wood melon. They are found across Quentriandal and each have their own elemental theme and taste.

Wood-Medicine

Some herbalists and alchemist use Wood Melon in their medicine or potions, drawing out its power of vitality and growth. Among fruit that are easy to access, the Wood Melon have the strongest potential that can be distilled or extracted for such use.
Extracts or drinks are sometimes sold as a cheap sort of pick-me-up, sweetened with sugar or other fruit for taste. Healthy or not, people need little excuse to indulge in them.

Rumors

There are whispers that the Wood Melon is not something conjured by the Dreaming World, but a plant made by one of the Awakened. The most common name attached to its creation is that of Sunlit Rose, though she has not been seen or heard from for decades.