Wild Tymelberry
The Tymelberry or Riverberry is an evergreen bush with small sweet fruit. The bush, native to a temperate climate, is a common sight throughout Cadora, Ligaru, and The Sisters. The bush often finds its home in forested areas and marshy wetlands.
Ecology & Habitat
The bush has a softwood stem and dark green, thin, and hard leaves. The branches and twigs are quite flexible which makes the plant resistant to wind and water passing through. The plant possesses bright red berries often found in clusters ranging from 6 to 15 berries. The red Tymelberries themselves are about 0.7 to 1.4cm in diameter.
The plant has its optimal habitat in wet temperate zones, the Tymelberry relies on high precipitation or close proximity to freshwater lakes and rivers. It may grow up to 3000m in altitude although the bush decreases in size to about 0.5 - 1m when heights over 2000m are met. Dryer soils or hot and long summers are still tolerated by the plant but the sweetness of the berry will diminish.
Biological cycle
The berry keeps its leaves all year round but the berries only grow in summer. Before the berries are ripe they have a greenish tint. When ripe the Tymelberry is bright red, sweet of taste, and juicy. Unlike many other plants, its fruit does not fall off. when winter hits, the berries become hard as a rock and stay so until next summer comes and the cycle continues. The berries can be harvested between late summer and mid-autumn.
Use
Concerning Ligaru
On Ligaru, the Tymelberry is often used to sweeten dishes. Often put in sauces, eaten as a side dish, or crushed to create marmalade (Tymelhups). Some even use them to create a sweet soup! Most commonly though it is used as a children's snack as they adore the sweet taste. In pastoral Ligaru, the nickname "Babyberry" is often given to the berry because of this.
Outside cooking, the soft and malleable wood of the bush is used to weave wooden crafts such as baskets. The old [wind guys] also made use of the wood, mainly with carving and making windwhistles.
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