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Nodellath Vines
The nodellath, literally "tree moon" in the Elvish tongue, is a delicate vine found in densely forested areas and more common in Elvish lands. It is also known by humans as the moonberry, named after its distinctive fruit.
Appearance:
When not in flower or bearing fruit, nodellath vines can be identified by their dark green spade-shaped leaves with serrated edges. The leaves are very thin and the stalks are often easily broken--nodellath do not fare well along frequented paths or in areas of high wind due to this delicacy of structure--and in spite of their darkness of color, are quite translucent when held up to light. The leaves can range from very tiny on new stalks to the size of an elven man's hand.
The nodellath flower has four white, pale-blue, or lavender petals, the top two of which are thinner and set closer to their lower counterparts than each other, forming a small cleft at the top of the flower. The lower two petals are shaped almost in two half-ellipsoids with their flat edges towards each other. The flower is peppered with dark purple or black spots of varying size which are more concentrated towards the center of the flower and grow more sparse as they reach the edge. The center of the flower sports a small crescent of stamens which resemble a fringe of white velvet forming a smile on the flower. The pale green sepals of this scentless flower are shaped like blades of grass and mirror the vertical asymmetry of the flower in that the top two are shorter and do not extend beyond the petals and the bottom two are always longer than the bottom petals. Each flower blooms on its own short stalk the length of an elvish or human finger and is in bloom only during a night when the moon is half or more than half full and then only for two suchnights, after which it wilts away and bears three berries in its place.
As distinctive as the flowers of the nodellath vine are, they are rarely witnessed and are thus more often recognized by their partially ripe berries. These are generally not worth eating due to their noticeable waxy coating and their unappetizingly tart and dry flavor, but are otherwise harmless. Nodellath berries are round berries around the size of an elvish or human thumbnail which grow in trios, three to a stalk. As the berries ripen, they turn from their beginning white color to a dark purple or black, beginning with a spot usually on the bottom of the berry and spreading to the rest of the berry. When viewed from the side, the nodellath berry ripens as the moon wanes, thus giving the plant its name. Berries take around a week to fully ripen.
Habitat & Hardiness:
The nodellath requires minimal and very indirect or soft light, as well, and a vine which is exposed to direct sunlight for as little as 15 minutes due to a fallen tree or other removed shade source will suffer sunburn. Sunburned leaves dry out, turn golden yellow from the tip towards the stem, and curl up, eventually falling off of the stalk. Any part of the plant exposed to direct sunlight for more than an hour will completely die.
Nodellath vines prefer to grow in wooded areas with cold winters and is exclusively found on the Northern continent, and are likely to be encountered anywhere sheltered from the wind and away from frequented areas in forests like the Glass Forest, Jolokia Forest, or Quill Vale. They can also be found in the Telartian Wood and Fever Wood, and some have been found growing on Rysniel, but the vines are less widespread in these areas. Nodellath vines cannot, however, grow in places of constant frozen temperatures, so very few of them are found at high elevations due to the cold. Nodellath prefer a humus-rich soil, and fare poorly when grown in poor or sandy soils.
Uses:
The most common use for the nodellath is its berries, a loose handful of which often sells for a couple of gold. The berries are boiled to separate the berry from its waxy coating.
A pot of boiled berries which has cooled can be skimmed for a wax that makes a cleaner burning candle than tallow and is often touted as having therapeutic qualities for those recuperating from illness. A burning nodellath candle has a pleasantly light musky scent. The wax, in spite of the dark color of the berry, tends to stay white or an extremely pale lavender and is thus ideal for fancier colored candles often used by the rich with gold to burn--literally.
The leftover boiled berries are usually strained and the pulp disposed of. The juices of the berry produce varying shades of purple dye which are reasonably easy to use on even delicate fabrics. While nodellath dye is remarkably fade-resistant, it also bleeds through several washes for the more darkly dyed fabrics and is thus not traditionally used for clothing or other items which require frequent washing or otherwise come in contact with water, as it stains other items (including hands) which touch them.
The petals of the nodellath flower contain a poison which is safe (if bland) to ingest, but can cause temporary hallucination upon entering the bloodstream. If an individual is exposed to a significant amount of nodellath poison (about three flowers' worth), the result can be immediately lethal. Dried nodellath flowers can go for a gold a piece, but the rarity and difficulty of use often makes it a poor choice for actual poisoning and the dried flowers are more often sold in glass jars as curiosities and display items. The flowers can be dried to a very life-like appearance if handled carefully, so they make very pretty curios and are a popular home decor item amongst well-to-do Elvish ladies.
Appearance:
When not in flower or bearing fruit, nodellath vines can be identified by their dark green spade-shaped leaves with serrated edges. The leaves are very thin and the stalks are often easily broken--nodellath do not fare well along frequented paths or in areas of high wind due to this delicacy of structure--and in spite of their darkness of color, are quite translucent when held up to light. The leaves can range from very tiny on new stalks to the size of an elven man's hand.
The nodellath flower has four white, pale-blue, or lavender petals, the top two of which are thinner and set closer to their lower counterparts than each other, forming a small cleft at the top of the flower. The lower two petals are shaped almost in two half-ellipsoids with their flat edges towards each other. The flower is peppered with dark purple or black spots of varying size which are more concentrated towards the center of the flower and grow more sparse as they reach the edge. The center of the flower sports a small crescent of stamens which resemble a fringe of white velvet forming a smile on the flower. The pale green sepals of this scentless flower are shaped like blades of grass and mirror the vertical asymmetry of the flower in that the top two are shorter and do not extend beyond the petals and the bottom two are always longer than the bottom petals. Each flower blooms on its own short stalk the length of an elvish or human finger and is in bloom only during a night when the moon is half or more than half full and then only for two suchnights, after which it wilts away and bears three berries in its place.
As distinctive as the flowers of the nodellath vine are, they are rarely witnessed and are thus more often recognized by their partially ripe berries. These are generally not worth eating due to their noticeable waxy coating and their unappetizingly tart and dry flavor, but are otherwise harmless. Nodellath berries are round berries around the size of an elvish or human thumbnail which grow in trios, three to a stalk. As the berries ripen, they turn from their beginning white color to a dark purple or black, beginning with a spot usually on the bottom of the berry and spreading to the rest of the berry. When viewed from the side, the nodellath berry ripens as the moon wanes, thus giving the plant its name. Berries take around a week to fully ripen.
Habitat & Hardiness:
The nodellath requires minimal and very indirect or soft light, as well, and a vine which is exposed to direct sunlight for as little as 15 minutes due to a fallen tree or other removed shade source will suffer sunburn. Sunburned leaves dry out, turn golden yellow from the tip towards the stem, and curl up, eventually falling off of the stalk. Any part of the plant exposed to direct sunlight for more than an hour will completely die.
Nodellath vines prefer to grow in wooded areas with cold winters and is exclusively found on the Northern continent, and are likely to be encountered anywhere sheltered from the wind and away from frequented areas in forests like the Glass Forest, Jolokia Forest, or Quill Vale. They can also be found in the Telartian Wood and Fever Wood, and some have been found growing on Rysniel, but the vines are less widespread in these areas. Nodellath vines cannot, however, grow in places of constant frozen temperatures, so very few of them are found at high elevations due to the cold. Nodellath prefer a humus-rich soil, and fare poorly when grown in poor or sandy soils.
Uses:
The most common use for the nodellath is its berries, a loose handful of which often sells for a couple of gold. The berries are boiled to separate the berry from its waxy coating.
A pot of boiled berries which has cooled can be skimmed for a wax that makes a cleaner burning candle than tallow and is often touted as having therapeutic qualities for those recuperating from illness. A burning nodellath candle has a pleasantly light musky scent. The wax, in spite of the dark color of the berry, tends to stay white or an extremely pale lavender and is thus ideal for fancier colored candles often used by the rich with gold to burn--literally.
The leftover boiled berries are usually strained and the pulp disposed of. The juices of the berry produce varying shades of purple dye which are reasonably easy to use on even delicate fabrics. While nodellath dye is remarkably fade-resistant, it also bleeds through several washes for the more darkly dyed fabrics and is thus not traditionally used for clothing or other items which require frequent washing or otherwise come in contact with water, as it stains other items (including hands) which touch them.
The petals of the nodellath flower contain a poison which is safe (if bland) to ingest, but can cause temporary hallucination upon entering the bloodstream. If an individual is exposed to a significant amount of nodellath poison (about three flowers' worth), the result can be immediately lethal. Dried nodellath flowers can go for a gold a piece, but the rarity and difficulty of use often makes it a poor choice for actual poisoning and the dried flowers are more often sold in glass jars as curiosities and display items. The flowers can be dried to a very life-like appearance if handled carefully, so they make very pretty curios and are a popular home decor item amongst well-to-do Elvish ladies.