#floratober

Mimillias are flowers that bloom profusely once a year, filling Wing Alayna end to end with wonderful blossoms that vary in shade according to biome. Blue for bodies of water, green for forests, pink for plains, and orange for the highlands and mountains.

A wild vine found growing on Hoshimi Island, centered around a white Lar plant. One of many plants found on the recent expedition to Hoshimi Island off the coast of Crescent Minoria, Starvines provide an interesting clue about their connection to plants both on the island and in other regions. They bear some similarity to Celesta Starpetalias, but may even be have closer ties to Elemin Darias and possibly even the Flyona line if the link between Starvines and Orbitanias is confirmed. Starvine stems are faintly gummy, but more bitter than sweet.

Starvine petals are oddly hard, providing a crunch when bitten into in a familiar fashion to biting into a Lara Münara fruit, though with a smooth, glassier texture despite their more opaque appearance.

White Lar plants are a rather uncommon sight. It would appear this Lar gets its energy from the moon in a similar fashion to Crescent Minoria plants, though it is not transparent like most of them, as is typical for Hoshimi island plants not to be, due to the confluence of currents around the island and continental influence, as outlined in the notes about the Spirra Starra.

Expeditions to the Crescent Minoria Dimension have brought back still more information about flora that can be found in some of the more stable rooms.

The primary specimen we will be examining is the Huminia.

Huminia

The leaves are flexible with a somewhat taffy-like texture, though not quite as elastic. They have a taste similar to licorice, but are tough to chew. The stem is a little more delicate and has more of a licorice texture and taste, though it is somewhat bitter.

The petals have a similar texture as the leaves towards the center. Towards the end they become more properly petal-like. They have a sweet, minty, candy-like taste.

The stamen have a fainter licorice taste than the stem/leaves. They are rather fragile and crumble easily in the mouth. The tips of the stamen have a minty flavor, though they aren't sweet like the petals.

Paepa Lantan Tree

The Paepa Lantan tree (featured on the left) is usually found in Fuline Ah, and is popular for its decorative fruits. The centers usually contain a fruity, jelly-like substance surrounded by a woody shell with a pleasant, somewhat spicy aroma like a mild form of cinnamon bark or cocobola.

This variant has a substance like hardened ink in the center of its fruits instead. They are not especially palatable, but the leaves have a distinct aroma, unlike its fruits. It is difficult to describe exactly, but the closest facsimile might be the smell of an old library, but with a fresher, greener undertone rather than the mustier one.

As one might expect, the leaves of this variant taste like paper, though they are slightly sweet, lacking the chemically undertones that manufactured paper might.

The mother species in Fuline Ah has a much more leafy taste to its leaves, though they do have a slight paper undertone.

Chekarin Mawarin

The flowers along the pillar were identified to be a relative of the Hirin Mawarin, a vine with flowers similar to small-disked sunflowers usually found in Wing Alayna growing along Pathvines. It is thought to be a hybrid between the Hirin Mawarin and Chekana Blawania.

Chekarin Mawarin usually have about 12 ray flowers that alternative between black and white. The color of the center can vary, sometimes containing alternating white and black, all black, or all white disk flowers depending on the exact flower head.

Others

A few other specimens were found on the expedition, but many of them were quite young. Mature specimens of the younger plants were not found nearby. This could mean they were planted by the residents of the dimension, or perhaps seeds blew in from further away, given the uneven spacing.

Among the small specimens named were the Biidama Lala (bottom left), a few variants of the Kokokabu family (scattered; one in the roots just south of the Paepa Lantan tree variant, others middle bottom right), and a young Sukatil (bottom right). Without mature specimens, research on the species represented is inconclusive, but a few things were noted about them nevertheless.

Young Biidama Lalas

Grow very small, bead-like fruits. Tend to grow in groups with multiple very thin, slightly hairy stems per root ball. The plants grew slightly over the course of the expedition, as did their fruits, but they were not determined to have yet reached maturity during the length of the expedition.

This plant was a new discovery. It has yet to be found anywhere else, so the dearth of available specimens, particularly matured ones, to study the new species by was sorely disappointing to the expedition.

Various Small Kokokabu

The discovered tubers have yet to be properly categorized, but they were identified as belonging to the Kokokabu family. Given the size of the plants, it was determined they had yet to reach maturity like many of the other small plants.

The young Kokokabu were hard and not yet edible. The leaves, however, did have a somewhat minty taste.

Young Sukatil

A Crescent Minoria Dimension Spotil variant that had not been spotted before. Produced a hard, glass-like fruit with lots of air bubbles in it.

Young Swirlana

To the right of the Paepa Lantan variant. Though a new discovery, not much was able to be determined about it during the time allotted to the expedition, as the forecasted static storm was moving in sooner than expected and the crew had to pack. It was, nevertheless, given a name. Study is underway to determine possible relatives, and another team has pinpointed a few potential candidates.

Unnamed Vine

Explorations in the recently discovered Air Sea have revealed previously unknown areas. The place where these flowers have been found has been dubbed the "Air Sea Sanctum." It is believed to have housed the Guardians in times past, but since has been overrun with various vines and plants. That said, some areas seem a little too well-kept to have lain abandoned for millennia... Or is the flora here simply good at spacing itself? Much to consider yet.

Sanctia Mamolia

The primary specimen of the expedition, the Sanctia Mamolia is a previously undiscovered member of the Mamolia family. As is typical of Mamolia, a corolla of leaves shields a delicate flower within. The leaves are strong and durable, though not very elastic, and squeak when pulled taut like a kind of rubbery substance. Though they don't taste like much except to give off a faint blueberry-like fragrance when chewed in their natural environment, leaving them somewhere dry for just a few moments, especially at low altitude, reveals a much more vibrant, candy-like blueberry flavor. The base softens when dry, allowing it to be properly chewed and eaten. The tail end has a more thin, veiny texture that becomes more pronounced the longer it is left to dry, which will take over and flatten out the rounder base given time.

The petals experience a similar flavor change between being consumed in their natural environment vs when dried at low altitude. They are rather hard when wet, and not very flexible, but become softer when exposed to air. Eaten in their natural environment, they will soften in the mouth and release a brief burst of pinkish flavor before dissolving altogether. Eaten when dry, its flavor is positively radiant--literally, as the ones who sampled it really did release a flash of light from their entire body upon putting a petal in their mouth for a few seconds. Researchers lack the proper terminology for what exactly "pinkish" and "radiant" mean as far as tastes go, but consuming a dried petal makes the recipient feel stronger. It is unknown if this effect is only temporary, or simply becomes naturalized over time. Trying to eat a second petal shortly after consuming one will cause the petal to react to the energy of the first one and be bounced away as if by a forcefield, the effect of which will become brighter if attempted a second time. A third attempt will simply cause the petal to dissolve. This effect does eventually wear off, though the second petal will not produce a violent burst of light like the first one, it will rejuvenate the one who consumes it in a similar way that the first one did.

Others

The other flowers discovered on the expedition to the Air Sea Sanctum were the Kliminia (left pillar), Twin Vinia (right pillars), Lila Dangalia (right of left pillar), Lila Tionge (left of upper right pillar and nearest to the left of bottom pillar), Flota Lilian (bottom left and right) and the Submarina (bottom middle).

The Kliminia, Lila Tionge, Flota Lilian and Submarina are all Varia Marias, a fact which challenges previously held beliefs about the nature of these group of flowers. Or perhaps, sheds light on the nature of the sanctum.

While it was previously believed that there could only be one type of Varia Maria per a given area, discoveries in past years have shown the truth of the matter to be a little more complicated. The theory was adjusted to redefine what counted as an area, given the complicated nature of Varia Marias especially on the Fuline islands.

Even with this adjusted theory, finding four different thriving Varia Marias in one location was unexpected, as they tend to be competitive for dominion over a given area and discourage growth of rivals nearby.

Kliminia

Kliminias are originally from the Great Buddy Forest in Wing Alayna, and were not initially categorized as Varia Maria until the definition of a Varia Maria's area was redefined to allow for multiple species per continent, generally separated by these areas. They are easily domesticated and will grow given just about any pole or stick in the ground. They thrive with access to lots of light, so in their native environment they tend to grow in areas of shallow canopy towards the upper story.

They are especially palatable, though their roots have a numbing but bland licorice-like flavor. The stem and leaves, especially closer to the base, also retain a little bit of this flavor, becoming fainter the higher up a sample is taken and coming in at more of a delay. They are not so unpalatable as to be out of the question as an addition to salads, but they function more as garnish than any strong flavoring agent.

Lila Tionge

A previously undiscovered Varia Maria of unknown origin. It is not thought to be native to the Air Sea Sanctum. It may be a wandering sea flower similar to a seafaring Mamolia, and sketches from sailing expeditions may confirm this theory. Its natural habitat has yet to be determined.

However, the sanctum does seem to have had an influence on the Lila Tionges found growing there. Their petals have taken on a similar sheen to that of the Sanctia Mamolia. When rehomed in ordinary seawater, especially outside the dimension, it quickly loses this sheen. They are very sensitive to dry air when in the sanctum state, but rehoming them in natural seawater makes them robust enough to withstand beaching for much longer.

They are not especially palatable when eaten in the sanctum, though the roots have a similar numbing effect to Kliminia roots. Dried outside the sanctum in similar conditions to the Sanctia Mamolia petals, the leaves will produce similar bursts of energy when consumed and respond in the same general manner Sanctia Mamolia petals do to eating more than one of them. However, they do not give the same feeling of invigoration that Sanctia Mamolia petals do. This is thought to be because Sanctia Mamolia petals contain a fair concentration of Ultiminium, the mineral which enables the Ultimate Tea to have as much power as it does, whereas sanctum-affected Lila Tionge leaves do not contain enough of it to affect the psyche nearly as much.

The petals, on the other hand, stayed clumped together in the sanctum, and became like dry leaves when in Wing Alayna, acting similar to the tail ends of Sanctia Mamolia leaves, but without their durability. They did have a fair raspberry-like flavor, however.

Flota Lilian

Flota Lilians are usually known to be found around the coasts of Reline Ah and some of its islands, as well as here and there in the Reline Ah dimension. They were among some of the biggest surprises to be seen floating around peacefully with what might ordinarily be considered "rivals"--the Lila Tionge and Dangalia, even if we assume it doesn't count Kliminia for not competing as directly for water-based nutrients. It may be that Flota Lilians are not as competitive as other Varia Maria, or perhaps this discovery may mean a recategorization is in order.

Flota Lilian petals are sweet, with a slight numbing effect that is more pronounced when it is sampled in the sanctum, though the overall flavor is still slightly muted. They have a faint rubbery texture that is also more pronounced in the specimens found growing in the sanctum.

Flota Lilians do not respond well to being brought to Wing Alayna. Ordinarily they would simply shut their blossoms until transferred to water and then mysteriously find their way away from the continent, but Flota Lilians that have been exposed to the sanctum's power either must be brought to Reline Ah to re-naturalize or brought gradually to Wing Alayna to give them time to adjust. Flota Lilians transferred to Wing Alayna via teleporation released a violent burst of white light before mysteriously reappearing right where researchers found them. From this, we can deduce that they do not respond well to the sudden shift in environment after becoming imbued with the sanctum's energy.

The lilypad and roots have a similar numbing taste to Lila Tionge, but once naturalized outside the sanctum, they will instead have a more leafy/grassy taste.

Of the two specimens pictured, the bottom left actually appears to be a crossbreed between a Lila Dangalia and a Flota Lilian. The two specimens have similar properties other than their differences in appearance. The leaves on the bottom right one had somewhat similar properties to Sanctia Mamolia leaves, but only when in the sanctum. Once naturalized outside it, they returned to having a slightly muddy, grassy taste.

Lila Dangalia

One of the two non-Varia Marias pictured, despite their similarities and apparent ability to crossbreed, throwing into the question their categorization as a non-Varia Maria in the first place, though the category is not strictly defined by those in the group's ability or inability to crossbreed, even with species outside the category.

Lila Dangalias are a quite old flower, usually found among coral reefs in the Koraln Sea and sporting bright pink petals. The further they get from their native environment, the more their petals turn translucent and lose a lot of their flavor. Their flavor was the least affected by an environment change, though the petals and leaves did have a slightly rubbery texture in the sanctum that they lost outside it, as well as a faint numbing taste it lost to become all but tasteless when brought to Wing Alayna. Specimens reintroduced to their native coral reefs did recover their natural pink color, but their lack of flavor remained unchanged. Researchers expect to check back with the re-introduced specimens to see if this has changed at a later date.

Lila Dangalias native to the coral reefs have a sweet, if not robust flavor to their petals. In times past they were used for Tea Festival tea, but they have since been left to repopulate after taking a hit from a few too many festivals. Though the main ingredient in Lila Dangalia tea is actually the roots, which are long and abundant per specimen. They infuse the water they absorb with a faint, but pleasant sweetness and delicate vegetable umami, a lot like a lotus root. The roots were also cooked and served as snacks during the festival, but the flowers have since been left to repopulate.

Submarina

Aquatic Varia Maria native to the Buddy Ocean off the coast of Wing Alayna. Their presence here at the sanctum seems to indicate that the waters in the sanctum may be a kind of "safe waters" that all of the usually competitive species feel well-adapted to, and perhaps the species don't compete because of the readily available resources. Or, perhaps the changes to the flowers as a result of being in the sanctum has something to do with their coexistence.

The Submarina is among those least affected by the sanctum, perhaps because of the natural bubble that protects its blossom. The leaves and stem had a similar rubbery numbing taste as several of the others, though not as strongly. Like the Dangalia, this effect quickly fades when it is reintroduced to its natural habitat.

The petals have a mild sweetness, and the natural taste of the stem and leaves is rather grassy.

Twin Vinia

A rare vine normally found on certain islands between Fuline Ah and Reline Ah. Also called Yakusoku-zuru, or "Vine of Promise," this vine is thought to have have been brought from an island closer to Reline Ah to one further south as a reunion of two previously isolated groups, the Dancer Buddys and the Flower Buddys, and to symbolize the reintroduction of Flower Buddys into JI proper.

It has a sharp taste one could define as bitter. The main difference in the sanctum specimens is their rubbery texture.

A flower native to the Koraln Sing water desert. It was later introduced to Wing Alayna to help with land drainage towards the end of the rainy season, but the flowers much preferred to stay by permanent bodies of water rather than help out with temporary ones.

Being a resident of Koraln Sing, where sea and land are nearly one, Hydranias have a high tolerance for salinity. The water that gathers in their blossoms is usually salty, though with a clear taste. Ones that took up residence in Wing Alayna by the Great Buddy lake gather water in their blossoms that tastes near identical to the clearest water in the lake.

Due to the salinity in their environment, native Hydranias have a perpetual salty taste. However, it tastes a bit too bitter to be making food out of.