Dreamwort

Dreamwort, also known as everwort, bulbwort, and firewort, is a large, diverse genus (gen Zobeide) of hardy herbaceous plants endemic to planet Despina of the Sestag system. Species in the genus are characterized by a prominent bulb and taproot structure, and various plants within the genus are known for the complex composition of their essential oils, and are widely used by inhabitants of Despina for their medicinal values since time immemorial.

Dreamwort species are native to Despina and grow in most non-frozen climates of the planet, especially in cold and dry habitats near the twilight zone. Like many plants on the planet, dreamwort plants are well-adapted to the hostile environment of the tidally-locked planet, allowing them to survive the violent solar flares from the host star and thrive in their wake. As they are often the first plants to repopulate the surface following a major solar flare and the subsequent wildfires, they play a major role in the ecological succession of native ecosystems.

Physical characteristics

Species in the dreamwort genus are bulbous plants, with their short stem surrounded by fleshy leaf bases to form the eponymous bulb. The fleshy scales are further protected by dry, membranous outer scales, and contain food reserves that allow the plant to survive adverse conditions. By consuming the storage inside fleshy leaves, dreamwort can enter vegetative growth quickly once the conditions allow for growth once again, extending leaves from the bulb to obtain food through photosynthesis.

Dreamwort also have a persistent taproot system with a prominent central root extending from the basal plate of the bulb. The central root allow the plant to anchor itself deep in the soil and pull the bulbous structure underground away from direct sunlight. In addition, species of dreamwort have evolved different taproot structure to adapt to their habitat. Dreamwort species evolved in tundra, including the hypothetical common ancestor of the genus, vitubium chelate complexes are concentrated in the taproot, where their natural heat-generating properties allow the taproot to grow deeper into the permafrost and access frozen water and nutrients leeched from the topsoil. In some other species such as sunwort and moonwort, the taproot serve as a food storage organ like the fleshy leaf bases, allowing for the plant to stay dormant over prolonged time between growth stages.

Chemical composition

Plants in the dreamwort genus are known for their rich and diverse essential oils, many of which are known to be chuubanitic (vitubium-containing). Many of them have known medicinal properties and have been utilized by the inhabitants of Despina since time immemorial. Based on the structure and function of many of the shared organic molecules produced by dreamwort, it is believed that they were used by the common ancestor of dreamwort plants both as a defensive mechanism against predation, and as a means to absorb nutrients like iron and vitubium in the frozen subsoil. In the freezing twilight zone of Despina, extensive leeching of nutrients have trapped many of them beneath hard soil pan and sometimes permafrost. To facilitate their absorption, the plants can secret organic molecules that can form soluble complexes with ionic nutrients to be absorbed by the deep taproot of the plant.

These organic compounds also play a role in transporting the nutrients to the rest of the plant through transpiration. Dreamwort species growing in colder habitats are known to have a higher transpiration rate through heat produced by vitubium decay, which also allow them faster growth in freezing temperature. A side effect of dreamwort’s biology is that many of these organic compounds, including vitubium-infused chelates, are released into the atmosphere through transpiration. As a result of dreamwort proliferation, especially in colder regions of the planet, vitubium-rich molecules can accumulate to significant levels in habitats dominated by dreamworts unless otherwise disturbed. It is believed that the vitubium-rich environment created by dreamwort plays a significant role in the evolution of many species, as many of them have the ability to absorb the chuubanite chelates for their own use, leading to their enhanced strength and abilities, up and including magic.

Adaptation to fire

Wildfire is a constant threat to life on Despina due to the volatile nature of its host star. As a relatively young M-type star, Sestag is known to undergo frequent and unpredictable increase in brightness, which significantly impacts the environment of its planets and other astronomical objects. While virtually every lifeforms in Despina have adopted to mitigate damage caused by sudden outbursts of X-rays and ultraviolet radiation during solar flares, the excessive influx of energy also lead to frequent wildfires engulfing the day-side hemisphere of Despina.

Compared to many other plants, dreamwort species are particularly vulnerable to wildfire due to their volatile and flammable essential oils. In fact, it is believed that many wildfires on Despina are started by ignition of atmospheric droplets and Despina’s high atmospheric oxygen level in the wake of solar flares. Although the above-surface structure of dreamwort rarely survives the scorching heat, the underground bulbs and taproot are usually shielded from destruction, allowing the plant to regrow once the habitat is conducive to life once more.

Flare cycle also plays a role in the proliferation of some species of dreamwort. In addition to the removal of competitors during the fire, and the enrichment of soil nutrients by ash facilitating general plant growth, some dreamwort have evolved heat-resistant seeds and bulbil that can withstand smaller solar flares. Instead, these reproductive structures detach themselves from the plant when exposed to ionizing radiation, which are then carried away in the air through storms caused by the energy influx to the atmosphere. As these species tend to have a higher emission rate of flammable droplets, it has been theorized that their tendency to cause wildfires have become an evolutionary advantage.

Relationship with native species

As one of the most prolific macroscopic producers on Despina, and one of the few capable of extracting and metabolizing inorganic vitubium, dreamwort plays a major role in the ecosystem of the planet, especially in the colder and drier habitats outside the tropical “iris zone”. As the vast majority of chuubanite chelate emitted by dreamworts through transpiration remain active, they are often consumed and further metabolized by other plants and animals to facilitate their own survival. While they are not capable of producing organic vitubium complexes on their own, some native lifeforms have evolved to be very efficient in utilizing absorbed chelates, which has been theorized as one of the reasons for their enhanced strength and endurance.

Beyond their chuubanitic nature, the ability for many dreamwort species to survive flare-induced wildfire and prolonged drought with food storage also make them both a critical species in restoring the devastating habitat, and a valuable source of food and water for other species in the wake of firestorms. Plants in the dreamwort genus often dominate habitats ravaged by wildfire, and many animals are known to dig out and consume buried dreamwort bulbs for food when other food sources are scarce.

Relationship with native civilizations

Like other species, /vnug/ civilizations on Despina have been using dreamwort and their byproducts since time immemorial. It is believed that dreamwort was first used as recreational drugs and food additives due to their aromatic and psychotropic properties, as well as medicine in the twilight tundras as the local dreamwort species exhibits strong soporific and oneirogenic properties with minimal preparation. In either case, dreamwort plants have been incorporated into the everyday life of the people of Despina since their inception, with many of them playing a major role in local religious practices – Dreamwalkers in particular make extensive use of the local dreamwort herbs for their rituals and magic.

The emission of chuubanite chelates by dreamwort species and the subsequent buildup of atmospheric vitubium also plays a vital role in the development of /vnug/ magic and technology. According to local legends, the first magic users of Despina were bard-magicians who discovered the vitubium-infused chelates could be activated by specific sounds. As the bard-magicians experimented, the relationship between sounds, location, and, later, transpiration of dreamwort essential oil became clear to them. Future magic users would develop (and redevelop) techniques to further refine the process, from dedicated musical instruments for invoking magic, to extraction and distillation of chuubanitic molecules from dreamwort plants and atmospheric condensations. Due to the limited access to fossil fuel deposits of Despina, the flammable and organic nature of dreamwort essential oil is also utilized as a source of fuel and chemical processes analogous to petroleum. Many cultures on Despina, especially in the rainy tropical regions, are known to collect and enrich rainwater and groundwater for its chuubanite content.