Flant

Flant is a flowering groundmoss native to the Scorchwood. When dried and ground, it creates a powder that when mixed with water, immediately releases a large amount of heat, enough to instantaneously light any flammable material in contact with it on fire or even melt most common metals. Cheap and easy to produce, flant powder has become a staple material used in a variety of situations from firestarter to metalsmithing.

Basic Information

Anatomy

This rust colored moss grows in patches, forming a thick mat on the surface of the ground. It's dry and rough in texture, and secretes a chemical that is mildly irritating to the skin and highly irritating when ingested. It grows small flowers, about one inch in diameter with four distinct "flame-shaped" petals when flowering, which it does once during the end of its life.

Genetics and Reproduction

Flantmoss' propogation cycle is an integral part of the Scorchwood's ecosystem. Taking root on dry patches in recently burned sections of forest, it quickly grows into mats on the ground where it absorbs moisture in the air until the end of a season, at which point it flowers. These flowers ignite shortly after growth, setting the moss on fire. The updraft from the flames sends the seeds scattering into the air, where they will take root in the soil, newly enriched from the forest fires.

Additional Information

Domestication

Farmers often plant flant among their seasonal crops, allowing it to burn the crops and return nutrients to the soil at the end of a growing season. Many of the flowers are harvested to create flant powder, which the farmers sell for additional profit.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Due to flant powder's unique properties, it find uses in many different fields. It is used as firestarter, in cauterizing wounds, sanitizing medical instruments, flux for welding, and even as a spice in some Eastern cuisines. Its uses go far beyond this, and as such it is highly profitable despite usually being grown as a secondary crop.