Appearance:
The gatchapod tree stands tall and straight during most of the year, with beautiful reddish bark. Large broad leaves top the tree, casting shade below. Once the flowers have bloomed and been pollinated, enormous seeds grow. These hulking black seeds are the size of a watermelon, and filled to the brim with liquid vikta.

The trees grow in rocky soil, and prefer areas with lots of sun.

Their seeds are incredibly hard to open, and often explode when opened incorrectly. As such, cultivation is only allowed by certified individuals.

Properties:
The gachapods are full of liquid vikta when they first fall, and remain full for up to a year.

Uses:
Full of liquid vikta, gachapods are prized by mages and magic users. They use the opened pods to supplement their own magic, allowing for more powerful spells to be cast.

The empty pods are useful containers, especially for storing highly volatile potions.

Appearance:
Glass lilies are beautiful and transparent flowers that look like they’re made of crystal. In truth, they’re made of ice, and constantly emit an aura of cold. They sit upon a round base covered in layered spiny scales, similar to a pinecone, and are the color of ocean water. The plant is always releasing a cold fog from its petals.

Properties:
Associated with the ice element, glass lilies constantly feel cold to the touch. Their spiny scales are great for cooling down drinks, and when their magic runs out these serrated scales make for excellent projectiles.

Uses:
The petals are the glass lily, when crushed into a fine powder, can be brewed into a potion that enhances ice magic. The plant is often cultivated for use in home and tavern larders; its constant cool mist is great for keeping food fresh and cold, and if enough glass lilies are kept in a small enough room they can even freeze objects. The spiny scales of the plant are used to keep drinks cool, but once plucked from the plant they slowly begin to lose their frost magic.

Appearance:
Like the blood rose, the battle rose bush looks gnarled and dead with ashy bark. These bushes sprout up in battle fields, as they need to absorb blood in order to bloom. Its petals are a beautiful creamy white, and a dark red nectar seeps from the flower. Careful, though; its wickedly-curved thorns may not be toxic, but it takes an oddly long amount of time for the wound to heal, and it simply doesn’t scab over.

Properties:
Its thorns are coated in a natural anticoagulant, preventing the wounds they create from scabbing over. It can also grow in any environment so long as plenty of blood is shed. As a result, it pops up on battlefields a lot.

It is easily confused for the rarer blood rose.

Uses:
Its natural anticoagulant can be harvested and used to treat weapons - or to prevent clotting in wounds where that is undesirable for medical reasons, such as one that’s poisoned or infected and needs to be bled. In addition, the battle rose is a potent ingredient in magic, particularly hexes, necromancy, healing, and any spells involving relationships (bonus points for familial relationships).

Appearance:
This small mushroom grows in the dankest, dreariest places. A small mushroom with slender, long stems, their flesh is a deep brown color until they’re cut into, and their exposed inner flesh is a milky blue. Their caps are flat, and shaped like tables.

Properties:
Hushrooms contain a poison that temporarily paralyzes the vocal cords when brewed correctly. When brewed incorrectly it temporarily makes the victim deaf.

Uses:
Hushrooms are completely inedible. Thieves have a love of these mushrooms because when mashed and distilled, the potions created are excellent for silencing victims. However, these take a skilled hand, and incorrect brewing can lead to undesired consequences.

Appearance:
Lunaria looks similar to its sister plant, solaria. Lunaria is a small plant that can be easily missed among grass. Its leaves blend in with the grass around it, and the only noticeable thing about the plant are its flowers. Lunaria flowers are small, with three long petals surrounding three even smaller petals. The petals are a pale periwinkle color, though they may be darker depending on the amount of dark magic the plant has absorbed.

Properties:
Associated with the dark element, lunaria’s leaves and roots are poisonous, and it reduced one’s resistance to poisons.

Uses:
Lunaria’s petals are used to brew a potion that enhances dark magic. Its leaves and roots can be steeped and used to brew a variety of poisons, one of which reduces the drinker’s resistance to poisons. This makes it a common pair with other more deadly poisons, making it almost essential in an assassin’s arsenal.

Appearance:
The leaves of the burnweed plant are thick and fleshy, and strand tall in the center, with outer leaves falling in spiraling offsets and gradually darkening until they turn a deep orchid color. The outer edges of the leaves are spiny and serrated. When in bloom the flowers of the burn weed have petals that look like small flames.

Properties:
Associated with the fire element, the sap burns well, and can enhance fire magic when consumed. Under certain processes the sap can be used as an ignition source.

Uses:
This plant is highly sought after by users of fire magic. Not only can it be used to brew a potion that enhances fire magic, the sap within the plant (commonly referred to as burn sap) is used to start fires and create incendiary devices. The sap itself can even be hot enough to ignite right out of the leaves if the plant is grown in volcanic regions.

Appearance:
Dark Mercy is a spindly flower with small round petals the color of a moonless sky. Long whiskers grow from the center of the petals. The plant itself reaches heights of up to three feet, and can be characterized by its purple-veined white leaves.

Properties:
All parts of dark mercy are extremely toxic. The plant’s oils can even be absorbed through skin; extreme care is needed when handling.

Uses:
It doesn’t matter how dark mercy is applied. It can be brewed into a tea or elixir and consumed, applied as a salve, or even inhaled; the effects are the same. Dark mercy puts its victims into a deep sleep, where they eventually die. Treatment is possible, but incredibly difficult.

Appearance:
Dragon’s bane is a beautiful flowering plant, with a long, slender stem. The flowers are bell shaped, with beautiful red petals--ten in total. The bells’ petals appear to look like flames.

Properties:
When ingested by dragons it inhibits their ability to use their magic, rendering them powerless. In high enough doses it can begin to burn the dragon from the inside out. The roots and leaves are exceptionally poisonous to dragons. They can survive small, magic blocking doses, but immediate medical intervention is required.

Uses:
Dragon’s bane has long been used in the war, and has almost driven the species to extinction. Extract of Dragon’s Bane can be applied to weapons. This, while effective, is not deadly. The most common use of dragon’s bane is to slip it into the food of dragons.

Appearance:
Blood roses are large bushes that mostly appear dead. They have no leaves or flowers to indicate that they’re even alive, and their thorny branches are gnarled and twisted. Their bark is ashy in color, and incredibly unappealing to look at.

In spite of its seemingly dead appearance, blood rose bushes are very much alive, and only flower under certain circumstances. In order for the bush to bloom, it must absorb copious amounts of blood.

When in bloom, the blood rose bush is one of the most beautiful plants in all of Antarsia. The petals are so white they gleam, and red nectar overflows from the flower, dripping down its petals or seeping through them like macabre dewdrops.

These plants are so rare that it’s considered a crime to kill or uproot one, and all attempts to cultivate them have failed.

Properties:
The petals of the blood rose can be eaten, and are said to cure any disease. Its crimson nectar is sweet and rich, and has the most potent healing properties of the plant.

Uses:
The blood rose is used to heal various diseases. There is no record of blood roses failing to cure any disease. However, be careful not to confuse it for the similar battle rose.

Appearance:
The hala tree is a slender evergreen tree that’s a relative of the cinnamon family. These slender trees grow tall, reaching fifty feet at their peak, and their elongated oval shaped leaves are pink when they’re young, gradually turning a reddish-brown as they mature. The bark is a greyish color, but it’s the inner bark that contains the most use. The inner bark is a terracotta color, and dries into quills.

This tree flourishes in the desert, and is common around oasis. Great care is taken to cultivate the trees, and stumps will regrow for a few generations. Wild harvest is more gentle, with only small patches of bark being removed to avoid killing the tree.

Properties:
The leaves of the hala tree have a strong spicy odor, which helps in identification of the plant. Its inner bark contains oils, and dries into quills and curled sticks.

Uses:
The primary use of the hala tree is for its inner bark. When dried and ground into a fine powder and mixed with ash, it creates an incense that wards away sand wyrms with its powerful, spicy aroma. Oils can also be extracted from the tree, which are used in other incenses, cooking, and therapeutic uses.

The outer bark of the tree is used as kindling, and burns well. The leaves can be dried and used to make a pleasant tea, along with the inner bark.

Appearance:
The lunar blossom is a five petaled flower related to daylilies. Their petals are a pale blue color, and they have several long stamen to attract pollinators. They grow in clumps, with each crown sprouting several flowering stalks. Lunar blossoms bloom at night, and when their blossoms close during the day they wither and die, being replaced the following night by a new flower. This makes the window for harvesting the flower very narrow, but the plant is easily cultivated in greenhouses.

Properties:
The plant is beautiful in floral arrangements, but aside from its aesthetically pleasing properties lunar blossoms have a medicinal purpose. They’re used to lessen the effects of curses.

Uses:
This beautiful flower lessens the effects of curses, like the vampire and werewolf curse. Commonly used as the main ingredient of a tonic, lunar blossoms make it much easier for those afflicted with a curse to manage their urges and bloodlust. In vampires, lunar blossoms make it easier for the vampire to go longer periods of time without needing blood, and in werewolves it allows them more control over their cursed forms when the moon rises. Lunar blossoms are not capable of lifting the curses, however, as the gods’ magic is far too powerful.

Appearance:
The manapot looks like a cross between a corpse flower and a pitcher plant, with a small fleshy island in the center of its pitcher. The pitcher itself is filled with a sweet smelling nectar. Those with the ability to see vitka are said to see small sparkles, as if free flowing vitka is trapped inside the nectar itself.

Properties:
The manapot, thus named for its uses in magical potions, is a carnivorous plant that lures small animals and, on the rare occasion people, to the sweet nectar inside. Once it has trapped its prey, the flower closes and slowly devours the prey, draining the vitka to further enhance the nectar and tempt more into it.

Uses:
Since the nectar of wild manapots are rich in vitka, such nectar (while dangerous to gather) is a highly sought-after ingredient in magical potions and medicines for curing vitka exhaustion. Domestically grown manapots are a prime ingredient in perfumes for its sweet citrusy scent.

Appearance:
Mountain’s beard is a stringy, mossy plant that likes to grow in bunches, looking like a man’s shaggy beard. They grow long and unkempt, spilling over rocks and mountain trees, growing longer and longer until they sway in the breeze.

Properties:
Coarse to the touch, mountain’s beard makes an excellent water filter. It’s incredibly good at absorbing toxins. Mountain’s beard is highly absorbent.

Uses:
Mountain’s beard is a handy plant for travelers; it makes an excellent water filter, and has purifying properties. It’s commonly brewed into antidotes as a catch-all until a more specific antidote can be brewed.

Appearance:
Rockthorn is a rather unassuming plant that loves to grow in rocky crags where little else can be found. It grows as a thick, ropey vine that’s incredibly tough to cut through. The vine has four-inch thorns for which the plant is named. These thorns are immensely tough, and look like grey stone.

Properties:
Associated with the earth element, this plant is tough, hardy, and surprisingly good fertilizer.

Uses:
Cutting the thorns and brewing them into a potion can enhance earth magic. The thorns themselves can also make excellent makeshift knives and arrowheads. Even the vine of the rockthorn has its uses. When the thorns are removed and the vine is dried out it makes one of the strongest cords known to Antarsia.

Appearance:
Seawort are tall, spindly plants with deep green waxy leaves at their base. Their flowers are large and pale blue in color, but the fruit after pollination is far more valuable. The bloom closes up and swells, creating a large green pod with a twisted top. The pod is filled with a viscous liquid that has a mild floral scent.

Properties:
Associated with the water element, Seawort enhances water magic, and the pods contain a liquid that can purify water. The pods are very sturdy, much like a coconut, and the inner flesh is edible.

Uses:
Seawort is highly sought after by users of water magic. Its roots and leaves can be brewed into a potion that enhances water magic. The liquid in its pods can be used to purify water, and the pod itself has edible flesh on the inside. Once hollowed out the pod can be used as a container.

Appearance:
The flower of the shockbloom has a flat top, and is built up of several small white petals. Beneath the bloom are several purple tendrils which crackle with electricity, particularly when electrical storms are nearby. The stem and leaves of the plant are a dusky purple color, and like to take root in arid, sandy soils.

Properties:
Associated with the lightning element, shockbloom is often used in incendiaries and explosives, given its petals ability to store energy.

Uses:
Shockbloom is commonly brewed into a potion that enhances lightning magic. Its petals are also used whole in incendiary devices. Damaging the petals causes explosions; the petals store electrical energy, and will release it when damaged.

Appearance:
A small flowering plant that grows freely in mountain fields. During the day, the flowers curl up, and look like small bells, hence their name. At night, their petals open, and their flowers look round and moon-like. The flowers grow in clusters, and their leaves are long and slender, a pale green in color. Their petals are a silvery-white color, and appear almost metallic.

Properties:
Silverbell is immensely poisonous to werewolves. All parts of the plants are toxic, especially the petals. Ingestion causes werewolves to foam at the mouth, and they gradually lose control of their bodies, leaving them to die in a near paralyzed state. Even the mere smell off the flower is enough to keep werewolves at bay.

Uses:
A popular method to ward off werewolves, farmers plant silverbells around their herds; people keep them around their houses, and werewolf hunters are especially fond of gardening with them. The petals can be brewed to extract their essence, which can then be coated onto weapons.

Appearance:
Sneakvine is an immense yellow flower that grows in the jungles of Antarsia. The flower itself is six feet tall, and grows on the ground. While it looks innocent enough, the flower is actually carnivorous, and within its petals are rows upon rows of sharp thorny teeth. The bulk of the plant is underground, where it digests its meal.

The flower gets its name from the vine-like tendrils it sends out in search of food. These vines are sensitive to motion, and lie in wait to ensnare prey. When they sense vibrations, they slowly inch towards the source, where they grab it and pull it back to the body of the flower.

Properties:
Sneakvine is stealthy and deadly, and claims many lives. The vines are vulnerable to fire. Jungle residents are keenly aware of the plant, and are able to identify its nest by the lack of plant life around it.

Uses:
There are no known uses for sneakvine. Some say it’s wonderful in salads, but those people are probably crazy.

Appearance:
If snumbus’ carpet has not ensnared any prey it appears as a bed of grass, though a telltale sign of the plant is the distinct ridge along the outside of the plant’s circumference accompanied by a gap in the surrounding grass between it and snumbus’ carpet. While closed around its prey, snumbus’ carpet appears as a multi-segmented sack, with a bunch near the top. Snumbus’ carpet grows to very large sizes if left to its own devices; the largest of its species can easily devour a horse.

Properties:
Snumbus' carpet closes up tight with incredible speed when it senses pressure on itself, trapping whatever unfortunate soul has wandered in. The wall is extremely durable, being incredibly tough to open, and you’re more likely to suffocate inside than you are to cut yourself free. It recoils from high heat, leaving fire-elemental users more likely to break free. For this reason travelers in grasslands are urged to carry fire starters on their person, in case they wander into this plant while not paying attention.

Uses:
While generally considered a weed, even this has it's uses. If properly cultivated, dried, and treated, snumbus’ carpet becomes a popular bag, being nearly impervious to cuts and tears.

Appearance:
Solaria looks very similar to its sister plant, lunaria. Solaria is a small plant that grows in grassy areas, and can easily be overlooked. Its long grassy leaves blend in well, and the only thing that differentiates solaria from grass are its tiny golden flowers. These pale gold flowers have three long petals that surround three smaller petals. The more light magic these flowers absorb the more their petals glow.

Properties:
Associated with the light element, solaria is commonly used in healing potions, and it’s said to boost the immune system.

Uses:
Solaria is commonly used to brew potions that enhance light magic, of which its petals are the primary ingredient. Its roots and leaves are a common healing herb that are used to boost the power of other healing herbs. When distilled properly the roots can be used to boost the immune system of the drinker, and solaria is stockpiled for the winter months to fend off all manner of diseases.

Appearance:
The solar blossom is a five petaled flower related to daylilies. Their petals are a pale yellow color, and they have several long stamen to attract pollinators. They grow in clumps, with each crown sprouting several flowering stalks. Solar blossoms bloom during the day, and when their blossoms close during the night they wither and die, being replaced the following night by a new flower. This makes the window for harvesting the flower very narrow, but the plant is easily cultivated in greenhouses.

Properties:
The plant is beautiful in floral arrangements, but aside from its aesthetically pleasing properties solar blossoms have a medicinal purpose. They’re used to worsen curses, and are considered a poison to cursed individuals.

Uses:
This beautiful flower is the counterpart to the lunar blossom. Where the lunar blossom heals, solar blossoms madden and make the curse nearly unbearable. When mixed into a tonic and ingested solar blossoms trigger immense thirst in vampires, and werebeasts find themselves going mad every night.

Appearance:
Windroot is a spindly plant that grows in the warm, sunny fields of Antarsia. Growing taller than the surrounding grass, the leaves at the base of the windroot’s stem are long and slender. The flower of the windroot is large and cottony, almost like a cloud.

Properties:
Associated with the wind element, windroot is useful in many potions and teas. Its cotton-like flower can be spun into garments.

Uses:
Windroot is a common plant with many uses, primarily that of brewing a potion to enhance wind magic. The root, when crushed and steeped, are used to brew stamina potions. The leaves have a mild peppermint flavor, and are well known to cure headaches when held under the tongue. The flower is primarily steeped to brew the wind enhancing potion, but its other use is to be spun into nearly weightless cloth that’s highly sought after by nobility.

Appearance:
This innocuous looking plant appears to be a very sad looking bush. Its blackish leaves look withered and dead, but they’re in fact perfectly healthy. The bush flowers one a year; its blossoms are small and red, growing in tight clusters.

Female plants have beautiful white berries that grow in groups of three.

Properties:
Witherroot is especially toxic to vampires, and causes them to rot from the inside-out. For other species, witherroot is a very potent antiseptic.

Uses:
A plant with many uses, witherroot is incredibly versatile. Pastes and serums made from this plant are coated onto weapons to slay vampires. Salves can be made from its stems and roots, and its leaves can be brewed into a wonderful medicinal tea to cure mouth sores and stomach ailments.

The berries have no other use other than being delicious. Their mild tartness is accompanied by a slight sweetness. They can be eaten straight, brewed into teas, dried, candied, etc.