[Flora]-The Rolling Drop

The Rolling Drop
Description:
Is a small non-sentient photosynthetic plant. It is a solitary polyannual that grows in warm to temperate climates. Native to forests and jungles, it's common in distribution within that range and grows to ~75cm.

The single stem has a blushed green flaky bark. The radial branches sprouting from the body are luminescent white and smooth in texture. The tap root is a warm brown color, and smooth to the touch.

The conifer leaves of the plant sprout directly from the main stem. The solid green needles have a heart-shaped cross-section. They have an undulating margin at the edges and velvety surface. Unusually for conifer leaves, they have a complex cross-venulate network of venation. The leaves sprout from the main stem in clusters of six or more.

The connate flowers are small ~10mm, are solid white in color, with a foul odor. They occur on the terminals of the branches. On top of the flower there is a re-curved petal that droops backwards on the sticky main body of the flower. During periods of quantum irregularity associated with fluctuations in gravity waves, the single petal displays a tropism where it pops up briefly from the sticky main body of the flower and then curls or "rolls" back into its previous position. Hence the common name "Rolling Drop".

The male flower has a bundle of 10 or more stamens within. The pollen is blue in color and occurs in multiple tints from light to dark, in the same flower.

The female flower has a single pistil. The fruit is a single small ~10mm densely shelled nutlike seed, green striped and oblong in shape. It is dispersed and cultivated by primary consumers, such as Fairy.

Uses
The inedible leaves can be rendered into a resin. The fumes from the balsam have an unusual quantum property. An object suffused with the colloid can irregularly increase the total local grativic waveform in a small area. (+2 to damage, only on a critical hit)

The inedible white flowers may be used to produce a wash of the foul-smelling saphonins. The strong unpleasant scent is used to reduce attention loss. (+2 to initiative value if not incapacitated, -40% on stealth v scent). Additionally the wash has an anaphrodisiac effect, even after the scent components have been fractionally distilled out of the wash.

The flaky delicate green bark is inedible. When ground to a powder it has a minor haemostatic effect. Obscurely, the Fairies claim that the powdered bark can reduce the energy required to teleport a given object or person in contact with it.

The green nutlike fruit is edible, once the green striped hull is discarded. It is roasted due to the complex structure of its sugars. The taste is described as pleasantly bitter.

The stem of the plant, once stripped of the bark, is edible. It is usually steeped to produce a carminative tea widely used by the smaller herbivorous folk. Local custom among the Fairy involves rubbing the steeped brew over the skin to "aid in digestion". The high proportion of chemical sensors across their skin is not directly connected to the gastrointestinal system. Some variety of placebo effect is implied.

The luminescent white branches are inedible. They are ground into a powder for the manufacture of dyes.

The roots are edible raw, and are said to have a vermicidal effect on small mites. The Fairy prefer to eat the root. A decoction made from lightly boiling the root is sometimes used for ritual verimcidal purposes. They seem to feel this is unnecessary, as eating the root is thought to protect the consumer from mites.

The pollen is edible raw. It is often used in the making of breads. The various tints of the blue pollen are graded by color. A widespread system to indicate the quality of grain foodstuffs by degree of blue coloration is used by most of the small herbivore races. The origin of this practice is unknown, but it is highly regulated among all of them.