Phryne
Phryne is a species of low growing bush which can be found in the highlands of northern Punjuki on Magicians' End, where it is cultivated to harvest the characteristic crimson leaves. Phryne leaves are brewed with boiling water to create an infusion known as ryne. It may be made from the pure dried leaves, although on Myruthea, it is more common to mix the phryne leaves with chamomile and sometimes blackberries before preparing the drink, a beverage then described as cryne or black cryne.
Ryne is a mild euphoric, elevating the heart rate and boosting alertness and attention. It is a very popular drink all over the world but it had only been available as a luxury for the rich, prior to the annexation of the peninsula north of the Cape of Juki by the Old Pale Empire in the Northern Punjuki Campaign.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Phryne bushes are dioecious, and farmers take care to ensure that they have a mix of male and female individuals. The female flowers are small with six white pointed petals, whilst the male flowers are green and less conspicuous. They rely on the services of the phryne moth for pollination, which takes place at night. Phryne berries are an even more vibrant shade of red than the leaves. Whilst favorite varieties can be cultivated by budding and grafting, farmers will also try to grow new stock from seed, always looking to select specimens that produce the most succulent and sweet leaf growth.
Growth Rate & Stages
Young phryne bushes do not become sufficiently developed for cropping until they are about ten years old and then they have a useful lifespan which lasts for about twenty more. When picking the leaves, care is taken never to strip the bush bare, and only to select examples such as the ones illustrated below which have developed sufficiently to have built a store of the special aromatic chemicals valued in ryne, whilst not being too old, since aging leaves acquire an unfortunate astringent flavour if not harvested soon enough.
Phryne Leaf 01 by DMFW with Night Cafe
Phryne Leaf 02 by DMFW with Night Cafe
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Phryne has been cultivated in order to harvest the leaves for as long as records exist, but it is only in the years since the Old Pale Empire, conquered northern Punjuki, that large scale plantations were encouraged and phryne production increased significantly.
The Katrapetch Phryne Market was rebuilt some two hundred years after the conquest of the city in 4285 BPC, the original site enlarged to accommodate higher trading volumes. This market remains the primary commercial site for the wholesale trading of phryne even today.
Phryne Cultivation 02 by DMFW with Night Cafe
Phryne Cultivation 03 by DMFW with Night Cafe
Katrapetch Phryne Market - Eastern Hall by DMFW with Leonardo AI
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Wild phryne favours the north facing slopes on the uplands of the peninsula north of Cape Juki, where it is often found growing in profusion, mixed in drifts with other shrubs and trees that like the wet climate and warm but not overly hot temperatures typical of these hills.
Phryne Growing Wild by DMFW with Night Cafe
A cup of ryne by DMFW with Night Cafe
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