Eleril

Eleril is a tall plant that grows in meadows. It is identified mostly easily in the late spring, by its clusters of small, five-petaled pinkish-white flowers. The flowers have a mild, pleasing scent, and a sweet, sharp taste when made into a tea. The plant is cultivated primarily for its medicinal uses, and has been for hundreds of years. However, the potent roots can be dangerous if prepared improperly - leading to its occasional use as a poison, for animals and sapients alike.
While the compounds affect most species to varying degrees, deer and the deer-like Urdena, a type of Beastfolk, are immune to it, and the cat-like Dirno are sensitive to the plant itself, either reacting more strongly than humans or all too often having allergic reactions that range from mild to severe. (Luckily, very few are allergic to the pollen.)

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

The plant bears flowers in the late spring, which are pollinated by a variety of bees and a few butterflies. It then bears seed pods, which fall to the ground when the plant dies in the fall, slowly germinating over winter. The seeds are spread by sapient effort and by deer and other ruminants that eat the stalks, seed pods and all.

Growth Rate & Stages

The plant lives for two years, establishing itself in the first and bearing flowers and seeds in the second. It regrows rapidly after being cut, especially in its second spring.

Ecology and Habitats

Eleril grows on the lower slopes of the mountains, especially in the wetter, brighter valleys. It will not thrive in shade, nor in rocky clay soils like those found on the slopes. It needs rich soil that retains water, but drains moderately well. It prefers pH balanced soils, but will survive in a fairly wide range of soil acidity.

Biological Cycle

In the first year, the plant germinates overwinter and starts to grow in the spring, putting out bright green leaves that darken over the summer. It dies back in the late fall to its roots, regrowing in the spring to bring forth its characteristic flowers.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The entirety of the plant has some use. The flowers, when brewed into a tea, are a powerful muscle relaxant, used for menstrual cramps, some muscle injuries, and tension. It can also aid in sleep and in treating anxiety. The flowers can also be mixed into a bath. The flowers are sometimes crushed and mixed with bird feed if a bird is egg-bound.
The leaves have a lower concentration of the compounds in the flowers, and are used to prepare gentler teas, especially for children and teenagers. The leaves are also safer to mix with alcohol, so are sometimes used in mead-making.
The roots are anti-inflamatory, and contain a higher concentration of the compounds in the leaves and flowers. The roots are only safe to use when diluted, though they can be used to prepare poison if concentrated.
The stalk contains no human-useful compounds, but is sometimes used to supplement livestock feed out of a belief it aids in digestion and irritability. Stalks are sometimes dried and chewed, mostly for their sharp taste.
The plant is a favorite of bees, and honey that was made with eleril pollen has a slightly spicy taste.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

In the valleys and lower slopes of most of the plane - eleril has been spread well past its initial native range by humans and other sapients.

Lifespan

Two years

Average Height

Up to five feet