Pitonweed

Pitonweed is an aerophytic plant that thrives on the foggy, windswept cliffs of the nigh-impenetrable Chacolian Mountains. Requiring no soil for sustenance, it is able to grow nestled into the rock on the side of cliff faces, earning it its name. Abundant on Chacolian cliffs, safely consumable, and packed with nutrients, the pitonweed is a useful survival food and has - reluctantly - become a staple of Wicastrian cuisine.

Description

An aerophyte, or 'air plant', pitonweeds do not require soil to grow. Their root system is more developed than is typical for an aerophyte, and essentially acts as a 'stopper' for the plant, growing to fill whatever small crack or crevasse it is wedged in to prevent it from being dislodged from its cliff face. The pitonweed's leaves consist of a number of sinewy olive-green tendrils that tend to wrap around eachother into a sort of balled lattice no larger than a human fist, allowing them to more effectively collect and pool moisture from the humid mountainside. Pitonweeds reproduce asexually, expelling a number of seeds from their base that are swiftly picked up by the wind. These seeds are easily carried by the harsh Chacolian winds, and are often battered against the cliffs until the wind wedges them into tiny gaps in the cliff face, where a new pitonweed can then grow. The illusion of these plants having been 'hammered' into the cliff walls is the origin of their name, referencing the pitons used in rock climbing.

Uses

Common, and able to thrive in the otherwise barren rock walls of the Chacolian Mountains, the pitonweed is a readily accessible resource for those unfortunate enough to be located on the southern edge of the Sunscald coast. Its roots and leaves are both edible. Naturally starchy and able to extract nutrients from the mineral-rich humid air around it, the plant is an extremely hardy and nutritious foodsource for both residents of the frontier settlement Wicaster and those foolhardy enough to scale the Chacolians. The taste and texture of the plant is distinctly unpleasant, however, being very acrid in taste and stringy in texture. Pitonweeds found higher on cliff faces are usually juicier and less acerbic, but the danger associated in harvesting these 'gourmet weeds' is rarely considered worth the effort.
The taste of the pitonweed is combatted in several ways in Wicaster cuisine, with some recipes opting to disguise the flavour with other strong-tasting ingredients such as salty fish, while others aim to enhance the flavour with sauces or condiments. An increasingly popular recipe is Wicaster Rock, a hardened sugar candy made with muddled pitonweed. The intense sweetness of the sugar fails to mask the bitterness of the pitonweed, creating a bizarre flavour that has attracted fans in cities other than Wicaster.
Despite associations with the name, the pitonweed is by no means a reliable grip for those looking to scale the Chacolian cliffs. Occasional stories of falling climbers being saved by clinging onto a pitonweed are dubious at best. In fact, pitonweeds can hinder climbing attempts by growing into gaps that could otherwise serve as handholds or footholds, making the treacherous cliffs even less accessible.