Silphium

Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170907-the-mystery-of-the-lost-roman-herb
https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-technology/silphium-ancient-contraceptive-herb-driven-extinction-002268
https://www.livius.org/articles/objects/silphium/

Basic Information

Anatomy

Silphium is an herb native to Tusana. It grows as tall stalks, which branch off and end in clusters of bright yellow flowers.

Genetics and Reproduction

Silphium releases heart-shaped seeds, which are then scattered by the wind.

Ecology and Habitats

The plant is picky about where it will grow. Tusana offers the correct amount of both rain and sunlight, as well as the proper soil type it needs to thrive. Rather than being grown in well-groomed fields like wheat or barley, silphium only reproduces in the wild, resisting standard cultivation. Patches of land throughout the plant's range are left to revert to nature, where no plow is allowed to pierce the soil nor sheep permitted to graze by law. Stalks grow and are then harvested by trusted families overseen by the officials of local rulers.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Perfume originates from its flowers, while the stalks and roots are featured in many Tusan dishes. The resin is the most valuable component, which is extracted for culinary, medical, and sexual applications. The plant is a popular addition to any doctor's repertoire for its treatment of numerous conditions, such as a cough, sore throat, indigestion, pain, warts, fever, and chills. A drink made from the plant's resin is brewed into a tea drunk by women either hoping to prevent pregnancies or to terminate one already in progress.
Silphium has been an integral aspect of the Tusan economy for centuries. The monopoly on the plant's production and export was initially held by native monarchs. Diakan colonists settling in the area realized the immense value of silphium and wrested most of the land where it grows from the Tusans. Silphium is widely appraised as worth its weight in silver. Customers sail to Tusa from across the known world to purchase one of its derivatives from one of three state-sponsored vendors. The giant's share is distributed via tribute or sale into the Satri Empire's heartland, while the rest meanders through Diakan and Venian ports.
Under the Satri Empire, Tusana offered silphium as part of its tribute to the Munasimuna. Every year, the Diakans and Tusans of the Marus send two hundred silver talents and another one hundred talents of silphium.