Fireweed
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| Official Name: Fireweed | ||
| Common Name: Flash-plant | ||
| Classification: Shrub | ||
| Common Use: Incense, medicine | ||
| Habitat: Forests of Ithania | ||
| Origins: Ithanian Forests |
Fireweed is an annual plant found within the forests of Ithania. It is a flowering plant known for its bright blooms and its tendency to spontaneously combust during warm, dry periods of the year. The plant is often found in small clusters in the wild or in large colonies near settlements.
Origins
Fireweed is native to Ithania, being fairly common throughout its forested regions. In the wild, the plant is found in small patches alongside other flora. Near Ithanian cities, however, fireweed has more of a presence as a pest. Colonies of fireweed can often be found near settlements equipped with industrial facilities such as smithys, tanneries, or alchemical labs. Here, they thrive on the substances that leach out into the soil.
Unfortunately, fireweed’s absorption of such substances led to the plant’s tendency to combust when it dies. The corrosion of rotting fireweed causes the substances to heat up significantly. The plant’s life cycle ends during the warm, dry periods of Ithania and as such a large field of dying fireweed can quickly heat up sufficiently to break fire. Inevitably, this led to the plant’s dominance of surrounding areas as the fires prevent any chance for competing plants to take hold. The fireweed themselves are not immune to the fires either and will burn with everything else. The seed pods, however, have enough resistance to survive for the next generation.
It should be noted that fireweed only combusts due to the high amount of volatile compounds taken from the soil. Within the plant, these compounds are partially neutralized and made safe. In this way, fireweed acts as remediation for the soil, slowly cleansing it of toxins. Left on its own, the cycle of fires in an area would eventually cease as the majority of the compounds become neutralized and combustion no longer possible. At this point, other plants can start colonizing the newly cleansed soil along with the now harmless fireweed.
It should be further noted that for the above reason, it is mainly from settlements that fireweed gained its infamous reputation. Colonies of fireweed found away from any populated area, and therefore away from observers, often lack the same compounds as their city dwelling counterparts and do not naturally combust.
Etymology
Fireweed is aptly named for its status as a pest and its tendency to spontaneously combust. Before the arrival of industrial settlements, wild fireweed was fairly unremarkable among other plants. After the arrival of Humans in Ithania, the plant’s flowers gave it value as an ornament, gaining the nickname “flash-flower”. It was not long before its other property was noticed and it gained its more popular name.
The plant’s fires can be disastrous to local Ithanians. Efforts have been made to weed out the plant as well as prohibiting its use as an ornamental flower.
Primary Use
Fireweed is the patron flower of the Old God, Fewa, the deity of fire. Not only is the obvious association with fire present, the plant has a tendency to grow near industrial facilities, including smithies, of which a large portion of employees are followers of Fewa. The plant is often used as incense during prayers and rituals. In the workplace, it may also be cast into furnaces to bless the fire. This reverence by the followers of Fewa furthers fireweed’s reputation as an evil plant among others of the Old God’s faith who view Fewa with antagonism.
Fireweed has been known in rare instances to be used as an antiseptic. The plant must be treated before use so that all toxic compounds are removed. This process is difficult, having a high rate of failure and as such, treated fireweed is a rare item and is not guaranteed to be safe to use. Treated fireweed is only applied to severe skin infections that have already taken place and only as a rather desperate measure.
- This use was invented by Fewa alchemists who wanted to literally burn away illness. It was later refined by Yanars who came up with the technique to treat fireweed.
- Treating fireweed involves extracting the toxins out of the plant in much the same way the plant itself extracts from the soil. Typically, the plant to be used must be buried within the roots of another fireweed. This is usually only done by the more delicate and nimble races such as Elves or Yanars. The difficulty of this step aside, a high rate of failure occurs because either the plant is not sufficiently cleansed of toxins, and therefore still poisonous, or the plant rots too far to be useful.
- The plant must be ground into paste and applied to the site of infection, producing an intense burning sensation. If the fireweed was not successfully treated, the use of the paste will kill off the infection but lead to inflammation and irritation of the skin as well as poisoning.
- The paste only works on non-magical infections.
| Name | Appearance | Habitat |
|---|---|---|
| Fireweed | Toothed, diamond shaped leaves. Can grow to a meter tall with multiple flower spikes, each containing clusters of shell-shaped flowers, vibrantly colored in the range of red from purple to orange. Small and dense root ball. | Temperate to warm climates. Requires acidic soil. Full to partial sun. Can tolerate light shade. Requires consistent moisture. Fairly adaptable as long as conditions are met. |
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