Tikaru

Tikaru bushes produce berries nestled amongst sharp red-tinted leaves that sting when touched. The berries are white until they ripen into a black, egg-shaped fruit. While not strictly poisonous, the berries have similar properties to the venom in the leaves, and a tolerance must be built up before consuming even a whole berry. When eaten, if the subject has the appropriate tolerance, the berries interact with digestive enzymes in saliva to form a phlegmy substance. When ingested regularly, the subject's blood can thicken to the point that their vessels swell, and their heart bursts if they exert themselves.
The bushes themselves are quite hardy, growing and bearing fruit almost anywhere sunlight hits the ground if their seed is spread there. Left unchecked, the older a bush is, the higher and wider it grows, with stems thickening as needed to bear the increased weight.

Basic Information

Growth Rate & Stages

Before reaching one year old, a tikaru bush can be as high as two feet, with branches spreading as far across. After this their rate of growth slows to a fifth of its original pace, but never stops.

Ecology and Habitats

While tikaru seem to grow everywhere, the poison is most potent and growth is much faster in warmer areas.

Biological Cycle

Tikaru bushes shed leaves over time, replacing them with new ones year-round, though they tend to have fewer leaves in the colder months. They also produce berries all year.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Tikaru berries can be ground into a pulp that, when applied to an open wound, will enable blood to clot much faster, and even heal the wound at an accelerated rate--but only if the subject has a sufficient tolerance for the plant. Even without having been exposed to it before, a patient can still benefit, while risking a mild infection.

Conservation Status

Tikaru groves are protected by cults who use them in ritual worship, and for medicinal uses. Small patches are maintained in and near towns for medicinal use. The rest of the time, tikaru bushes are burnt with extreme prejudice, as they are known to spread and choke out most other plant life wherever they go unchecked.