Buckweed

Basic Information

Anatomy

Buckweed is a seaweed like plant that grows at the bottom of freshwater lakes, streams, and other such places. At most, it grows to be 10 ft. long from root to leaf tip. The outward appearance of the plant is nearly identical to seaweed, verdant green that fades to a yellow hue towards the end, however, Buckweed differs from Seaweed only in the red striations found at the base of the root. It is a harmless plant that maintains many symbiotic relations with fish of prey who use the abundant weed to escape predators and whose nutrients feed the Buckweed plant.
In the wild, it is quite a common food for herbivores, fish and mammal like. With the increased harvesting of wild Buckweed plants for its use in tonics, species that rely on the plant for food struggle to survive in environs without their primary food source.

Genetics and Reproduction

From a healthy root, Buckweed needs only a few months to reach maturity. Each leaf of the Buckweed plant has spores in which it releases sperm and egg respectively into the water. These spores can also attach to the scales of fish who swim from plant to plant in order to reproduce. 
In addition to sporogenesis, the plant is fairly hearty, able to create new plant from severed leaves. More often the plant can survive if the root is left alone, yet the leaves can create new Buckweed roots if given time.

Growth Rate & Stages

Spore: During the Buckweed plant's sporogenesis, the genetic material of the plant waits to randomly collide with a spore of the opposite sex to start creating a new Buckweed plant. The combined genetic material eventually create a small clump of plant cells. These growing spores are common food for fish.
Root Production: Once the gametes find themselves, plant cells continue to develop and reproduce until the chunk of plant matter falls to the base of the silt floor of freshwater environments. If given time, the plant will grow roots and attempt to bury itself in the silt to create a rootball, the base of the plant.
Burgeoning: Once ample time is given, the new root will start producing leaves 3 weeks after the roots have been established. Once this happens, the hearty plant continues to grow leaves. 
Death: Given the nature of Buckweed, it is not easy to destroy. The plant can die if the roots are destroyed or eaten entirely. Otherwise, the plant will survive.

Ecology and Habitats

Buckweed is a freshwater plant, and thus, will be found in fresh water. Buckweed hasn't been known to survive in salt water environments, if a strand of Buckweed has evolved to survive in salt water, the peoples of Ral have yet to discover such a plant. 
As previously stated, Buckweed maintains many symbiotic relationships with many species of fish. Due to the need for cover from predators, the large leaves of Buckweed are perfect for hiding, the excrement of said fish then adds nutrients to the plant and gives them vehicles for which their spores can attach and distribute to other Buckweed plants.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Buckweed relies on photosynthesis as its main source of energy as many plants do. It does not produce fruit, only leaves at the bottom of a lake bed before they grow towards the surface, rarely ever breaching the surface. 
Nutrients in the soil are very important for the plant, hence the desired symbiotic relationship between fish and the Buckweed plant. An over abundance of resources called nutrient burn can leave the Buckweed plant unable to photosynthesize, effectively killing the plant should all the leaves decay or be consumed for an extended period of time.

Biological Cycle

Winter is the only season that can cause some difficulty for the Buckweed plant. The lower temperatures stunt the growth and reproduction of the plant, essentially slowing the growing progress. Due to the need for food during winter months, the spores released by the Buckweed rarely touch ground, meaning that the procreation of the plant is stunted. 
In every other season, the warm temperatures only aid the Buckweed plants for it is in the warmer temperatures where fish and other organisms move about, causing more potential procreation.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Buckweed is firstly a food source. It is a seaweed like plant aside form the odor it emits which smells vaguely like pumpkin pie. It can be eaten by most fish and animals albeit they prefer the spores to the leaves which have a bitter taste. In humanoid cultures, it is used as a base for some foods served on a bed like steaks or chickens for nobles. Additionally it is a garnish for cocktails and food since the scent is pleasant and its flavor is remarkable. 
The true reason this plant is harvested in some areas is because it is a natural repellent of the Otyugh, a monstrous creature that lives withing garbage and refuse areas in metropolitan areas. When distilled, an incense can be made that smells like fresh baked pumpkin pie. This scent while plesant to humanoids, is quite repulsive to the otyugh. Because of this, workers in those areas are in constant need of the repellant to make their jobs safer.
The spores of the Buckweed plant have been the subject of study as well. Some have found success in creating healing tonics with a large amount of spores, even the leaves are thought to have medicinal properties if given proper study.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Buckweed is a nonmagical plant, thus it is not special. The innate magical components of the plant must be distilled and worked for them to appear. The plant is not sentient, merely a weed that grows on the silt floor of freshwater biomes.

Scientific Name

Otyugun Repulsen

Lifespan

5-12 years

Conservation Status

Rather than protect the species, this aquatic weed is harvested for its many benefits. Harvested mainly by those who can breathe under the water, it is traded for other goods, making Buckweed quite the commodity. Thus, it is rare in the wild since most of it is used for commercial sale. Buckweed can be found in freshwater lakes, large streams, and other bodies of water.

Average Height

5-10ft from root

Average Weight

When pulled fresh, a 10ft leave can weigh up to 10 pounds wet, barely half a pound when dried.

Geographic Distribution

• Anuth
• Arling Peninsula

Discovered by

Nelris Rag