#submarina

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.