#floratober 2023

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Fulinean Buddy Tree

Once thought to be a legend, Buddy Trees were recently rediscovered in remote locations on several of the continents. Mysteriously though, this locations are difficult or sometimes impossible to find again, leading some to believe that these locations are in fact pocket dimensions, or perhaps that there is only one Buddy Tree that changes its appearance each time its seen depending on where it is located. The Buddy Tree once grew solely in Wing Alayna, and, as the legend goes, would bear vastly different fruit per year. Another legend states that a guardian of time lives in the knot of the tree, connecting the world to the lands of legend.

It was also once thought that the Storydancers came from the Buddy Tree or perhaps lived in it, or even used it as a portal to visit the lands of legend and bring back tales. Though there does seem to be a connection between the Buddy Tree and the Storydancers, it is unclear at this point whether that connection is merely mythical or has some substance to it.

Storydancers are a particular kind of Dancer Buddy that carry scrolls with them and regale their audience with tales as they perform their dance routines. As they travel about without a home, they often take up residence in the Queen's palace, or stay with a host family before moving on. There are no known Storydancer mixes, and if you ask them why, they'd probably reply that they love story more than the idea of settling down.

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Many-petaled Flyona

Many of the Flyona species are cultivated in Sky Buddy World for their sweet petals and licorice-like stems. The Many-petaled Flyona, as its name implies, bears many petals, though in exchange it is much leafier than the Sweetpetal Flyona, as well as shorter, with a milder, more diluted taste to its petals than its wild predecessor. It has a stronger flavor in its stem however thanks to the extra bulk it has, and its extra petals lend to a certain aesthetic beauty despite what they've lost in taste.

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Wooo, caught up today! Second one's a bit impressionistic... Not sure if leveling it helped or made it worse. Welp! Onto the info.

Darania Aquabulla

Found in the shallower areas of the Great Buddy Lake and areas of equal depth in the calmer parts of the Great Buddy River. Like its relatives, the Darania Aquabulla grow rather fast from seed and begin growing their fruit. They tend to grow in units of four, but may often grow more or less. Their aquabulla fruits detach easily from their stem and float to the surface. Taste-wise, Darania Aquabulla fruits are known for their floral overtone and are a beloved medium for tea.

Busha Blosomas with Vina Heartias

A bushy, low-growing flower that tends to grow in groves with Vina Heartia vines on Furheart Iiah. So far not much is known about them, but they make quite nice decorations. They are often associated with the sea, as they must be imported from Furheart Iiah if one wants to see them in Wing Alayna. They are said to carry the memories of the sailors they've been with and the journeys they've been on.

Despite being native to a warm environment, Busha Blosomas adapt fairly well to cooler weather. That said, they don't take well to northern Wing Alayna soil, but there has been some success growing them on the south side of the Great Buddy Mountains where they can receive some shelter from the rain.

Vina Heartias are one of Furheart Iiah's signature plants, along with the Furheartia plant. It is unclear what their relationship with Busha Blosomas are or why they are found to be growing near or around them. It is thought they have something of a symbiotic relationship, but the details are unclear. They do, however, have similar preferences, with the caveat that Vina Heartias are much more finicky about their environment. With effort they can be grown in Wing Alayna, but due to various environmental factors, Vina Heartias grown there will be green.

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Münlala Spikalif

Another one of the flora found on Hoshimi Island, the Münlala's stem and leaf texture is a bit more like a succulent than the other more glass-like stems of other flora found on the island closer to the Crescent Minoria continent. It retains many features suited for a dry climate, perhaps evidencing some influence from the other nearest continent, Koraln Sing, or else potentially Wing Alayna where some of its relatives may be found. It is thought to have some connection to the Omu-omu Plantai due to the similarity of texture between the Münlala's stem/leaves and the bracts of the former. For this reason, it is also thought there could be Münlala with a variety of stem colors including purple, as the Omu-omu Plantai is normally found in purple, but as Hoshimi Island is still newly discovered, there have yet to be any sightings of Münlala with varying stem colors. However, it is quite possible that it could be bred to have a variety of stem colors at the very least, and horticulturists are eager for the chance to prove this hypothesis correct.

As for its glowing fruit, there is still not much known. It is thought to be related to perhaps the Spirra Starra due to the fact they both glow, but their connection is tenuous at best. As samples are sent back to the Queen's Palace in central west Wing Alayna for study, researchers expect to have a better grasp on the properties of this newly discovered flora.

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Darania Aquabulla

I ran out of time today so info and finished pic will be tomorrow hopefully. For now, enjoy this sketch. The Aquabullas are some of my favorites. I was a little worried starting out with them since the first tends to be my weakest, but I wasn't disappointed by my progress on it. Stay tuned for more flowers.

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Spotil Giving

Spotils are the staple food of Wing Alayna. They have a taste a bit like a mix between a potato and an apple. These versatile fruits make excellent gifts during the month of Spotilan especially, when they tend to be in full fruit.

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Furheartian Varia Maria

A simple flower found to be growing in Furheart Iiah. Its bright pink stems are reminiscent of Vina Heartias, leading some to believe they are related.

Varia Marias come in a large variety of shapes and adapt to their environment. As a result, many flowers by the Varia Maria name look nearly nothing alike despite their documented ancestry. Due to how different they look, they are sometimes given native names and their status as a Varia Maria becomes separate.

Identifying a flower as a Varia Maria always starts with hearing from the locals about the flower's ancestry. Other than the fact that Varia Marias are always small, there is often very little linking any given small flower to the Varia Maria family, but beliefs about them abound. It was once thought that there was only one Varia Maria per continent, but this was later discovered to be untrue. That said, their adaptations seem to be linked to the area that they grow in, and some types of Varia Maria can be quite rare.

The Furheartian Varia Maria in particular is deceptively rare; it has the look of a very common flower, or like it might be a hybrid of a Vinia Heartia and some other plant. And while it isn't confirmed whether or not it has mixed ancestry, there is a reason that it was thought to be the only one on the continent for a long time.

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Kreflower Kleera

A clear flower that grows in Crescent Minoria. Unlike many of its peers, this plant grows with absolutely no pigment. This is thought to be due to how quickly it absorbs and utilizes the moonlight it receives from Crescent Minoria's moon, leaving no time for it to develop pigmentation. Though they were once reported to have light pink, transparent petals and dark green stems that were likewise transparent, it seems they have more recently adapted to develop no pigmentation whatsoever. What caused this adaptation to occur is currently unclear.

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Yifli Tinitrii

A small tree found on certain Fuline Ah islands. Also called the Fulinean Varia Maria, some of these trees can be quite old despite their small stature, and are thought to be the ancestors of many of the current species of Varia Maria.

Varia Marias are a genus of plants with a broad range as they tend to adapt and change according to their environment. It was once believed that only one type of Varia Maria grew on each continent, but others of the same and different varieties have been found in various locations. That said, these new types do seem to only grow in a limited range, and even in their native growing area, many varieties tend to be few in number.

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Fuzu Blosoma

A rare flower with a fuzzy stalk and petals. It can be found in the Great Buddy Highlands and in the north Wing Alaynan plains. These flowers rarely fruit and go to seed, as most known specimens are male.

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Tamalia Shuwana

The Tamalia Shuwana grows a fruit with a hard shell. Inside is a honey-like substance. It is customary to use it during the Tea Festival to sweeten tea. Its hard shell dissolves in water, so it only fruits during the driest parts of the year. If it is exposed to rain during this time, the honey-like substance inside it hardens to preserve its shape. Because of its sensitivity to water, the fruit is often harvested when it is dry and kept safe until the proper time when it is customarily used.

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Ranrinia Duplana

Relative of the Ranrinia Triplana, the Duplana species usually comes into bloom around Cloudalon, the third month, as the rainy season is starting to break up. It was thought for a long time that Duplanas were Triplanas in a different phase of life, but it is now understood that they are different species.

It prefers intermittent rain, so it is sometimes also seen at the start of the rainy season in late Zephyrlan, the ninth month, before things get too intense for it.

Like the Triplana, the Duplana can also grow flowers in its center. Though it can't hold as much water, it does gather a little, especially during the rainy season, and the various debris that finds itself in its blossom also helps to support the small flowers that get their start within its petals.

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Hinamün Malia

A small flower found to be growing here and there in Wing Alayna. Its center mimics the phases of the moon, growing darker as the moon wanes and brighter as the moon waxes. Its flower is very sensitive to rain, closing up at the slightest hint of it. Part of this has to do with the fruit it grows in its center. Though it starts out soft, it becomes harder and drier as the moon wanes, so it is thought the flower closes up to protect its fruit from unexpected changes in humidity. In sunny weather, the flower takes in heat from the sun and 'cooks' the fruit in its center to a cookie-like consistency. For this reason, Hinamün disks are a beloved treat, especially during the Tea Festival if they can be saved until then, as the Tea Festival begins while the rainy season is in full swing, and Hinamüns are seldom seen that deep into the rainy season.

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Perloa Alnia

A relative of the Alnia family, Perloa Alnias tend to form a hardened ball in their centers as opposed to the more syrupy 'fruits' of the Korana Alnia and Korana Minia. The outside of it is much sweeter especially, and the inside of it is much more mild-tasting than the somewhat bitter taste of Korana Alnia syrup. Either way, it is less common than its relatives and thus a celebrated find when discovered.

Like other Alnias, the Perloa Alnia may be found typically off the coast of Koraln Sing in semi-shallow waters. Like its larger relative, the Korana Alnia, it also prefers growing on toadstool coral.

There have also been occasional sightings of it in the Girinia Warmsea off the south coast of Furheart Iiah towards Warminia Songlianne, which could explain the pink coloration of many of the specimens. In addition, there have also been sightings further out into the Buddy Ocean between Wing Alayna and Koraln Sing.

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Elemin Dariana on Young Pura Pathvine

A creeping, flowering vine that can be found sparsely throughout JI. Though it has a preference for dry weather, it is a tenacious vine that can thrive in just about anything. That said, grass tends to out-compete it, so it's rarely found in the wild, much less without support. It is thought to have originated on a northern Fuline Ah island or perhaps a south Reline Ah one, but it is best known for its presence on the Reline Ah continent as a domestic vine. Despite its hardy nature, it takes careful pruning and care to thrive.

The Elemin Dariana is the namesake of one of the first Flower Buddys, Elderflower, and for that reason, Elemin Darias are often called Elderflowers in Reline Ah.

In their early phases, the flower buds have a nutty, almondy flavor. When they bloom, their flavor changes to more of a sweet, faint licorice taste. The stems have a much stronger licorice taste and texture, though since the flower is rather rare, tea and candy made from parts of the plant are rarely served outside of Reline Ah.

A fully mature Pura Pathvine has yet to be discovered. There is even some question as to whether or not they are Pathvines at all or simply a different kind of megaflora, or perhaps even a dwarf species of Pathvine. Still others say that Pura Pathvines are very special, and when fully grown, connect to a dimension that has never before been discovered. Some proponents of the dwarf theory agree that Pura Pathvines have a connection to other dimensions, but instead merely act as gateposts or landmarks, growing near the gate to one, or even acting as the gate itself. Which ever theory is correct, there is still much to be discovered about Pura Pathvines. Known specimens include one in Reline Ah, featured here, and two others, one found between Furheart Iiah, Reline Ah and Batulia Songlianne out at sea, and another between the south coast of Crescent Minoria and Warminia Songlianne. As more specimens are discovered, researchers expect to have a better grasp on the nature of these Pura Pathvines.

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Tula Flowers

Thought to be a sky variant of Varia Maria, Tula Flowers can be found growing in patches in Sky Buddy World. The flowers are primarily decorative and grow wild on small clouds. Though the petals can be added to tea, they don't add much in terms of flavor. They are often the inspiration for floral patterns among sky-dwelling Fashion Buddys, and are sometimes used for dye or pressed flowers, but aren't preferred for thread production, as they tend to make thread curl like their stems when they come in contact with it.