Gungeinga (GUNN-GAIN-gah)
Gungeinga are a relatively common, semi-evergreen tree known for its ratty appearance and clump-like groves as well as its drought tolerance. It is most common in and native to Balaqalneyis but can be grown semi-successfully in Kiva.
They are particularly valued for their fruit (colloquially called gun-gun), which are common to the Balaqalneyis diet, and their nuts, which can be roasted to create in-world coffee (known as tinja).
Basic Information
Anatomy
A single deep taproot forms the bulk of their root system and supports a single main trunk of 5-12ft with an exceedingly straight habit. This main trunk can be anywhere between 5" and 1ft thick. At the base of the main trunk a series of thinner branches sprout and arch up and then back down to the soil, and they themselves sprout hundreds of foul-smelling wiry filaments designed to deter grazers from their fruit, support the tree in desert winds, and absorb atmospheric water. Upper branches are at the top of the trunk only and consist of tapered fronds.
Biological Traits
Its bark is salmon-colored with black diamond-shaped pits, while its leaf fronds are reddish-brown -edged dark green. Its fruit are glossy and regardless of ripeness, can mature from pale green to shades of white, yellow, orange, or purple; the inner flesh is orange-red and has a sharp, somewhat sweet, almost astringent taste. Dark green thorny sepals surround the fruit clusters, which number from three to eight berries; the berries themselves are approximately 1" in diameter. The nuts within the fruit are around 0.5" and yellow-brown in color.
Ecology and Habitats
Thrives in warm, arid climates with sand or near-sand for soil.
Additional Information
Domestication
Tinja groves are becoming common, especially in Kiva; Qalneyan tinja is growing as an export following the War of the Six.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
The fruit and its stone-nut are always separated to be consumed for their separate purposes to reduce wastefulness. The fruit is often candied, or preserved with herbs or simply in oil in a chutney known as gun-gun (which is also colloquially used for the fruit in whatever form), or eaten fresh or added to cooked dishes. The nut, meanwhile, was traditionally eaten raw until the more palatable and 'civilized' method of roasting and brewing it into tinja caught on.
Historically, the fronds have also been used in homespun crafts such as basketweaving.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Primarily Balaqalneyis, some domesticated cultivars in Kiva.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
When touched, oversized barbed sepals close around fruit to protect it.
Lifespan
80+ Years
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Average Height
10ft
Geographic Distribution
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