The Fantastical Flora - Magical Plants, Fungi, and More

[DodgerH2O]

While not a Botanist by training, I do enjoy learning about various usable herbs, fruits, and fungi and have realized that most fantasy settings limit their exotic species to those lethal to the players. This thread is for posting of non-creature lifeforms for fantasy settings and with a focus on fluff rather than mechanics. I would love for others to add their creations, and to kick things off will start with a few of my own. Feel free to refluff these for your campaign setting.

EDIT: Note: I have prefaced several of these with "Magical". While all of the species I list exist in magical worlds, the "Magical" label is intended to indicate a concentration of magical energy. The idea is that it will give off an aura to creatures able to see such things, and will not usually exist in zones dead of magic.


Herbs

Names: Undine's Hair, Waterpebble
The alchemist paused, “You are sure you understand? Your betrothed will be unable to deny your wishes, but you must collect only the flowers without seed.” The woman nodded. Weeks later, she approached her husband with a jug of mead in hand. Once he had drank deeply, she began to talk “My dear, your business has great potential, but a gentler hand with the customers would increase its profits manyfold...” He nodded slowly, seemingly hesitant. “If you were to put me in charge while you handled the labor...” His face was looking somewhat pale, and before her eyes he fell to a heap upon the ground. By the time the alchemist arrived, her husband had suffocated to death. “You did not listen. This man was poisoned by your negligence,” the alchemist charged. “Although... he was fond of his drink and rather old. Perhaps if you were to remarry and give the business to your new husband nobody would know the truth...” His eyes gleamed as he assessed the woman's terrified expression.
Description: A short (4” - 1') herbaceous annual plant with green to blue foliage. Its leaves radiate outward from the central stalk forming a dense matted cluster. Found near streams, lakes, and rivers. Flowers appear in early Spring and form clusters atop the central stalk. Fruits are hard, mostly hollow spheres about the size of cherry pits, and propagate primarily by being carried off by rising waters during summer storms or snowmelt. Some aquatic creatures have been known to eat the fruits, though they are poisonous to most humanoids.
Leaves: Long and linear, (3-12”) coming to a tapered point at the end. Some specimens in drier climates have a waxy sheen on the upper side of the leaf, which makes the leaves appear duller in color.
Flowers: Form in clusters of 3-5 thimble-sized white to bluish flowers with the 4 outer petals forming a narrowed crosslike or “X” pattern. Insects are incredibly attracted to these flowers and prefer them over most other species.
Uses: Alchemists long ago discovered that the pollen from Undine's Hair made an optimal reagent in the creation of various potions involving compulsion and confusion. The fruits may be ground into a waxy powder that causes lethargy and difficulty breathing if inhaled or ingested by most humanoid creatures.


Trees/Shrubs

Names: Woundknit, Nature's Mercy
As you enter the clearing a hush falls upon the night. Your elven guide gestures towards a fernlike plant the height of your shoulders nestled under a tall oak. “Take only a handful of them, your friend will survive if we return quickly.” As you approach the midnight-blue flower it seems to sparkle in the starlight, beckoning with the promise of salvation for your loved one. The flowers practically fall into your hand, and you swear you hear a gentle sigh as you turn back to your camp and depart the sacred grove.
Description: Magical. A delicate perennial evergreen shrub found in sheltered forests and the edges of meadows. It matures very slowly and is treasured by creatures and animals nearby. Elves and other humanoids often cultivate specimens, though it grows poorly when grown in a container. The plant takes 5-10 years to reach maturity, and from then on will only grow enough to replace any damaged stems or foliage. The plant only blooms at night when exposed to sufficient star- or moonlight and forms a single oblong fruit containing a single seed. Once a flower has been pollinated, the other flowers atrophy and crumble into fine dust.
Leaves: Oppositely arranged feathery leaflets about 2.5-7” in length.
Flowers: Deep violet to midnight blue, star-shaped and about the width of a Halfling's palm. These acquire silvery spots along the center of each petal as they grow older.
Uses: The mature flowers may be used as a compress to heal minor cuts and bruises and the purplish juices pressed from these flowers form the basis for potions of healing.


Fungi and Lichens

Names: Ghoul's Bread, Ghost Mushroom
You rub your arms as a chill wind whirls around the crumbling stone monuments. Not for the first time you wonder why your contact chose to meet you in this location, it gives you the creeps, and you've dealt your share of death. Something about it makes your hair stand on end... a gravelly voice echoes suddenly “Come, to the top of the hill.” Having little choice, you ascend the slope of the graveyard, and at the top see a cloaked figure gazing intently at a cluster of hazily glowing mushrooms. It turns towards you and you grasp your weapon as you see a toothy rictus of a skeletal grin. The figure raises an arm enveloped with a deep aura of blackness, and inhales sharply as the nearby mushrooms burst into glowing clouds. Its eyes glow with dark power and you pray to the gods that your doom is swift and painless.
Description: Magical. A pale, fleshy fungus that thrives on decomposing magical creatures. While the mycelia exist on the Prime Material, the fruiting body of the mushroom is connected to the Negative Energy plane and tends to have a spectral, wavering appearance. In the presence of Necromantic magics, the mushroom will swell and burst into spores. If inhaled, these spores will attempt to colonize the host's body and slowly sap its energy, leading to the eventual death of the host. Once the host's body decomposes, the fungus begins its life-cycle anew.
Uses: Necromancers and creatures of death have been known to deliberately inhale concentrated spores to increase the strength of their connection with the Negative plane. The spores are also often collected and used for various necromantic spells and items, though they lose their ability to inoculate a host rather quickly after being released.


Molds and Mildews

Names: Tomerot, Wizard's Bane
They used to say that Aurevok the Magnificent was the greatest wizard that ever lived. His tower stretched to the clouds, and beyond. He created beasts of almost divine beauty and lethality. Most esteemed was his great library. It was said that he had a copy of every spell known, from the ancient scrolls of the Celaen Empire to the newest research at the Arcane Academy. Nobody knows how it happened, the bards claim that in his greed he excavated the Archives of the Gods and stole its contents, and the Gods took knowledge for knowledge, but I happen to know the truth. An apprentice of his, a young man and impatient, grew tired of working for scraps of arcane truth. The apprentice found a tome describing an ancient tomb where lay a disease that ate not flesh, but parchment. The apprentice is now an old man, like me, but he watched the power or Aurevok decline, watched the library of legend become dust and the “greatest wizard” eventually succumbed to an old man with a kitchen knife. Let this be a lesson to those lording knowledge over others.
Description: Magical. Thought to be the creation of a particularly malicious Sorcerer, this magical mold attacks primarily scrolls and spellbooks. Able to eat through as much as a page of parchment a week, it has been the doom of several unsuspecting Mages. Fortunately, once it has finished its feast, it goes dormant and may only be awakened by the nearby sensing of powerful sorcery. Over the years its name has become something of a myth, given as a warning to any who would explore and attempt to reclaim ancient places of power. Those moldering tomes may not have been destroyed by time alone...
Uses: Rare and difficult to harness for use. While magical, its aura is faint and often spread out during periods of dormancy. Some legends claim that only one colony exists, and it has been lost to time, but lies waiting for an unfortunate soul to stumble upon.


So hopefully this may inspire others to create and post their own species. My choice of style was more or less arbitrary, please feel free to post however you feel most comfortable. Also, I know "Flora" technically refers to plants, however it works well for a thread title, so I used some artistic license. Again, I intend for DM/GMs to use these as a basis for their own systems, so I posted this in Wold-Building. Mechanics issues probably would get better feedback in Homebrew Design.

[Elemental]

This is a cool idea.
Let's see...

Name: Anthosias
Description: Anthosias is a woody, perennial herb that grows to a height of 1.2 metres. It consists of a main stem, which begins branching out towards the ground. The smaller branches towards the outside of the plant are covered by a large number of needlelike leaves. Anthosias produces a profusion of tiny pale blue or purple flowers near the tips of its branches.
Habitat: Anthosias is found is warmer regions, and requires very little water and a lot of sunlight to grow. It can be grown in colder environments, but its growth is stunted as a result.
In warm climates, Anthosias flowers all year round, but only flowers during the summer in colder climates.
Uses: Anthosias has many uses, with almost all parts of the plant being valued in some way. However, despite its medicinal properties, it is banned in many regions due to its poisonous nature.
Bark: The bark of Anthosias can be made into a stimulating tea. Simply extract some of the bark off the main stem and boil it in water for three hours, any less, and mild toxins in the bark can cause severe headaches.
Leaves: The leaves are extremely toxic, consuming them will result in seizures, coma or death. However, the fragrance they exude stimulates a person's memory and improves focus. Unfortunately, prolonged exposure causes drowsiness and irrationality.
Flowers: The flowers of the purple variety have no properties of use. However, the flowers of the blue variety are known to provide a similar effect to the fragrance of the leaves. Thus, they are dried for the use of making a slightly sweet tea that greatly improves focus. Unfortunately, long term use causes addiction and, when deprived of it, the ability to react rationally. Despite this, many people consume it to assist them in their studies.


That's all I could come up with at the moment. I based it strongly off rosemary and its traditional uses, but I changed it slightly, made it more potent and included nasty side-effects. I might come up with some more later.

[flabort]

Me like. Me add.

Names: Brewer's Bean, Winevine
Walking through the vineyard, the young hireling clung to his basket. Looking around at the various plants, he reached for a big cluster of fruits, only to be stopped by the burly man who'd taken him on to teach him the trade.
"Those aren't ready yet. And, we're here for something else. See these pods over here? Pick the big ones, preferably the yellow ones, like this." The man grabbed a few of the long beans, putting them in the young boy's basket. He then broke open one of the bigger ones, it's sweet aroma reminding the hireling that he skipped his morning meal to be here. The Brewer poured out the liquid within onto his hand.
"This is what we want. But DON'T. Eat it. You'll notice this purple fuzz..."
Description: A thick (3-6" diameter) vine, with several small branches sprouting off the main vine, that curl around most nearby structures. A single vine can grow up to 16 feet in length over it's growing season, after which it becomes too cold and dies from frost. It grows small leaves seemingly randomly over it's main vine, and flowers early in the growing season, and throughout until the frosts. The flowers then produce long, thick green pods, that turn yellow when ripe, containing from 3 to 10 seeds. Within the pod, surrounding the seeds, is a sweet liquid, which oftentimes becomes the habitat for Honey Mold, making it unsafe for consumption.
Leaves: Grow in solitary smatterings around the plant, sometimes on the main vine, sometimes on the branches. Small, broad leaves with jagged edges, but soft and supple. Also grow in thick protective clusters around the blooms.
Flowers: Pink blooms on the curled branches, with a very bitter scent. However, one has to hold the flowers very close to smell anything. The petals form a ring of 6 petals, around which clusters of leaves radiate. The petals themselves are teardrop shaped, and take on a deep red at the very tip, furthest away from the center. Certain varieties have been cultivated to have deeper reds, or light violet blooms, but the color is pretty much universally pink, excepting those varieties which have been a single grower's life work.
Uses: While inedible due to the Honey Mold that grows in it, by letting the sweet liquid ferment, all traces of it are killed, creating a very edible wine, with a very strong fragrance. Because there are different varieties based on location, with different shaped beans, and shades of bloom and pod, and with them different palates, various varieties of wine can be created from Brewer's Bean.
As well, some alchemists have found the sweet liquid very useful in creating mundane perfumes, and the flowers can be dried and prepared into an incense. Without proper preparation, though, the smoke from such an incense could cause minor muscle problems, resulting in unstoppable drooling, and clumsy movement. As well, the smoke from the incense is mildly addictive. Long term, and frequent use could cause hypertension when not being actively used. But it still finds use in many religious ceremonies, albeit those that only take place once or twice a year.

Names: Adulteress's Fur, Honey Mold
Opening the cask of wine, the Brewer skimmed off the dark brown gunk floating on top, putting it in a larger barrel already half full with the stuff.
"You'll notice once it dies, it turns this dark brown. That means it's safe to drink the wine now, but it's a good idea to put the wine in bottles, now, to keep any of the bad stuff that I miss when skimming it like this from getting in anyone's drinks."
The hireling peered into the large barrel, a sweet smell like the wine wafting up from it, but tainted by a rotting smell. Wrinkling his nose, he worked up the courage to ask why they were saving it.
"Once I fill it up, I sell it to this guy with his odd smelling store full of dried leaves and stuff. I guess he uses it to make some sort of 'Love Potion', but I don't actually think it's worth a copper. Good source of a few gold, though, since he seems to think it's valuable."
Description: Magical. It grows in the sweet liquid within the pods of winevine. When alive, it's a thick fuzzy purple, but difficult to collect alive, because the liquid it thrives in becomes sticky after a while, and clings to almost anything. Once it has been killed by soaking it in alcohol, it becomes brown, and produces a smell like rotting carrion.
Uses: While alive, it is a deadly thing, which consumes a man's soul should he consume it, killing him, and leaving his body to rot. It is easy enough to counter, but it acts fast, and often by the time enough beer or other drinks have been consumed, the victim has already died.
The dead mold, having been exposed to alcohol, can be used by alchemists to produce a "Love Potion", which drives the consumer's desire so high, they are blinded to all else. It has a lasting effect of emotional attachment to the whoever they were near during their period of unquenchable lust, which has driven husbands to leave their wives for the woman who tainted their food with this, even when this woman has several men following her with the same lost puppydog eyes already.

[Elemental]

Here's a couple more:

Name: Goldenhair
Description: Goldenhair is a short grass found growing high in remote alpine meadows. It is almost indistinguishable from other grasses, save for a blue-green stripe down the centre of each blade. The most noticeable feature of this plant however, is the golden coloured, hair like strands, which trail from its seedheads, hence the name, Goldenhair.
Uses: Goldenhair has only one significant property, the ability to confuse magical divination. As a result, an oil is often extracted from the plant as a potion additive. Adding Oil of Goldenhair to a potion or other mixture will confuse the results of minor divinations, causing them to give false readings. As a result, it is used to conceal potions, and even allows poisons to go undetected. However, it can not stand up to more advanced magic, and a skilled alchemist can detect it due to a faint smell of apple.


Name: Razorleaf
Description: Razorleaf is a decidedly unpleasant desert plant. It consists of a thin trailing vine that spreads along the ground. Thorns of all sizes cover this plant's stems and branches. The leaves are short, razor shape, covered in spines, and shaped like knives. Besides all this, those who have managed to prepare the leaves for consumption (after getting cuts all over their hands) state that while a good source of water, the taste was incomprehensibly disgusting, and that dying of thirst would be preferable to eating it.
Razorleaf is a very long-lived and slow growing plant, taking one hundred years to grow one foot. It is capable of living for millenia, but growth slows after one thousand years, and stops after two. For every two feet the plant grows, it branches, spreading slowly and surely across the ground. Upon reaching the age of three hundred years, the plant is ready to set forth flower, and will do so every time there is rain. When Razorleaf flowers, many have said that it is in fact one of the most beautiful plants in the entire world. Each thorn opens, revealing a variegated flower in either blue, red, purple, orange, yellow, or a combination of those colours. The flowers are quickly wind polinated and each yields hundreds of seeds. The seeds are capable of travelling hundreds of miles; but only those that land within desert have any chance of growing, as other plants quickly smother the young seedlings.
Uses: The only usable part of Razorleaf are the seeds, which have to be quickly gathered from the flowers before they blow away. The seeds are an antidote to many poisons and also a mild painkiller. They are also valuable as people often desire to cultivate them, not realising how slowly they grow.

[erictheredd]

fabulous idea. This is actually an old idea of mine:

yeah, you can get a wizard to enchant your ship to fly, but if you've got a wizard that powerful, what do you want with a flying ship in the first place?

Name: Sky-wood
Description: Sky-Wood is a large colonial tree with white bark, small leaves, a tangled root system, and a tendency to float. It forms large tangled masses that hover several thousand feet above sea level. the wood is a dark grey color, typical trees grow to 100 ft, and most colonies look indistinguishable from clouds.
Uses: Sky-wood is useful in a variety of structures, as anything made from it will float. Ships are the largest consumer of it, but wagons and houses are not uncommon. Sky wood can be finicky to work with though. It is a brittle wood and additional magic is usually used to make the final product maneuverable. Cities can also be built on it. The wood is very resistant to fire.
Cultivation: Sky wood does not grow slowly, but it can be difficult to handle. It is impossible to start a new colony without both great skill and heavy use of magic, as it requires the plant to have nutrients and to float in midair. A colony must be over 150 ft in diameter before it is sustainable, and while magic can speed up the process of growth, it runs a risk of upsetting the balance of the colony. While colonies can come from other colonies, finding and separating a viable colony kills or removes an area 600ft in diameter from the colony, or 1000 ft to make sure. even when 1000 ft chunks are killed, the colony is small (200ft) and has about a 25% chance of dying. a 600ft colony source has a 50% chance. However, lumber may be removed and tunnels cut in the structure without risk.

The peasants couldn't fight for their land, but they had other tools to get it back. The village fool spent all night long tracing patterns in the dust around the farms. As dawn arose, old Transon throw a couple of seeds across the line. before he had made it back into the woods, the weeds were growing.
before he had eaten breakfast, the baron was out of his manor, watching as the new tenents of the land battled plants he could see growing.
before the baron had eaten dinner he had his soldiers along side the new peasants.
before the sun went down the paths drawn by the village "fool" outlined a jungle of vegetation.
before the sun came up the weeds were dead, suffocated the fine crop of wheat.

Name:Mage Weed
Description:Mage Weed is speculated to have been a practical joke among wizards, or the result of a contest for the fastest growing plant. It Is a soft bodied plant with large leaves up to four feet across. It must have a boundary outlined by hand, be planted at dawn, stops growing at nightfall, and dies at daybreak. It resembles squash plants, with a few stiff hairs, and seeds like dandylions

[bryn0528]

I like this. Contributing;

Herbs

Dustroot
Sunlight filtered lazily into the vaulted library, and dust and a smell of coal mixed in the air. An elderly man, stricken with arthritis, carefully pulled one of his oldest tomes from the shelves. He opened a page and smiled. Though the book had no magic, the paper was still as white as the day it was milled, and the black ink still shone as if it were wet.
Description; A low growing plant. It prefers hot and dry climates and fares well in rocky soil. Dustroot grows in small clumps of short, fat, scratchy leaves, typically a golden brown in color. In late summer, it blooms small white flowers that smell of charcoal. The root of the plant is ivory white and crumbles easily.
Uses; Dustroot is used mostly for its roots. Though difficult to collect properly due to its delicateness, powders made from the root are powerful preservers. Useful for non-magical libraries, it keeps away mold and the yellowing of the pages. Also sometimes used to keep corpses fresh for temporary amounts of time. Dustroot is safe to handle, although prolonged exposure to the root can cause muscular atrophy and stiffness in the joints.

[Elemental]

Here's another one.

Name: Druid's Moss
Description: Druid's Moss is a deep green moss found growing on rocks deep within forests. It is difficult to distinguish from similar plants, though a trained eye will remember that it is always faces the rising sun.
Uses: As its name may imply, Druid's Moss is used as an ingredient in healing potions and wound cleansing agents. It is a powerful anti-septic, and wounds treated with it rarely become infected. However, be prepared for some stinging when it is first applied.

[DodgerH2O]

Trees

Names: True Ironwood, Steeloak

The young Elf had never seen such a thing is his half-century of life. The People were building a forge! Not the crude, heavy thing of his Dwarven friend, Emberbeard, but recognizable as a tool for smithing nonetheless. He ducked through the singing crowd and approached the Elder Druid, "Where did this come from? Why do we have it out? Are we going to war?" the questions tumbled from his mouth. The Elder turned to him and nodded thoughtfully "A War is brewing, and The People cannot sit this one out, for the fate of the world hangs in the balance. If you want to help, watch, and join in the song." As the congregation moved to the Ancient Nursery the trees noticably quivered as with anticipation. A tall, gnarled oak stood, steel-grey and sunken into the hillside. Its branches shook, and the leaves sang like a Bladedancer's knives. As the forge was placed under a massive branch, the song reached a crescendo, and the branch fell neatly, almost gently, into a receptacle. "Now," said the Elder Druid, "we can begin."

Description: Magical. Looks and grows almost exactly like the more gnarled oaks but with a distinct dull-iron to steel-grey bark. The True Ironwood is a rare specimen, feeding off iron-rich soils and ambient magical energy. Often they are seeded by Elves as a memorial to sites torn by spells and warfare. The bark is as hard as steel and nearly impossible to cut, rendering the tree nigh-immortal. Rust monsters and magical energy drain are the primary threats to these plants. A massive network of gnarled roots supports the weight of the trees, and they will not naturally grow beyond the ground's capacity to hold, though erosion has toppled its share.

Leaves: Leaves are evergreen, and lobed with razor-sharp spines. They vary from a few fingers-widths in length to that of an entire hand.

Acorns: Approximately thumb-sized, and more fragile than the rest of the plant. The meat of the acorn is a deep, rust-red and edible, though not appetizing for humanoids.

Uses: True Ironwood is prized by those whose ethos prevents them from using materials torn from the body of the earth. While it can be crudely shaped by tools harder than steel, the Druids are rumored to have a means of mystically altering parts of the tree into the forms of arms and armor that appear to have grown from the body of the oak itself. It holds enchantment particularly well, due to its inherently magical nature, and on the rare occasions when it has been made into tools of violence, they have often become things of legend.

[flabort]

Names: Thunderleaf, Shocker Shroom
"Dude, where did this burnt squirrel come from? It just dropped out of the sky, looks like it's been hit by lighting. I swear, you guys really have to stop trying to outdo each other with all that magic. You almost killed that old man when you turned his legs into roots. Now come on, we need to get moving. I've heard of this fungus that grows around here, we don't want to touch it....."
Description: Magical. This mushroom appears to be a medium-large leaf, a broad green-brown teardrop shape. While obvious during the summer and spring, it is perfectly disguised during the fall, when all the nearby leaves are identically colored. It grows on the bark of trees, and has only extremely shallow "Roots", if that's what you'd call that part of a mushroom. While even a strong wind cannot detach Thunderleaf from it's growing spot, brushing against it can knock it off much easier than the real leaves around it.
It gets it's name from the massive discharge of energy one receives when one touches it, and from it's appearance. Such a shock usually discourages herbivores from eating it, or kills them outright.
Uses: While it cannot be cultivated, due to difficulties with it's electric nature, the broad "Leaf" can be fried up as an exotic dish, with it's distinctly hot flavor being a favorite amongst those who can afford it. It goes nicely with sweet herbs, and can be stuffed with goat's cheese for a gourmet experience like no other.
Alternatively, it possesses properties that can be used in the cleansing of infections, burning out the contagion and leaving an infected wound raw and open, but clean and ready for binding, readying it for an easy healing.

Names: Death's Needles, Hell Pine
Chanting away, the acolyte held the hands of his fellow cultists and inductees. He swayed back and forth, trying desperately not to forget the words hastily memorized the night before. He shuddered grimly, hearing someone else miss-chant a word, and cringed as he heard the gruesome sound of the other cultist's skeleton being sucked out of it's body.
All this work and risk to attune a single stupid tree to their purposes. Raising the bones of the dead the old fashioned way would be easier. But to stop chanting now would be the acolyte's worst mistake...
Description: Magical. A large evergreen, if it can be called "Green", which grows near locations thick with death, such as graveyards and cultist's groves. It's needles are a dark, bloody red, almost black. It's branches appear to be made of bones, grisly resembling twisted spines and grasping hands, creepily similar to masses of arms, and it's tall, slightly crooked trunk is covered with a bone white, knotted and pitted, a grimly reminder of the image of ribs and other bones. Otherwise, though, it looks a lot like the pines it grows near.
Uses: The tree is flowing with the energies of the damned, and necromancers know it. By attuning a tree to himself, and casting several spells of binding and animation, a necromancer, or group of necromancers, can cause the tree to cause much of the nearby dead to get up, rising out of the earth, and taking on many forms, many of which the necromancer would otherwise be unable to create. As well, he can animate the tree itself, becoming a walking giant resembling a mass of assorted bones, animating more dead for the necromancer as it finds them.
The rituals to control the energies in a Hell Pine are dangerous, though, and more often than not, result in swift and sudden death. The energies are normally passive, not doing anything, but should anyone master them, death to many is eminent.

Name: Bonsai Hell Pine
"What? What are you looking at me for?"
The advertisement for a spellcaster had turned up several weirdos and freaks, but until now, none had actually any more magic than being able to sneak an extra ace into their hand. Finally the adventuring party had found one... But it was a small walking tree with a couple of rat skeletons following it around.
"We're sorry. We were expecting someone a bit more... human?"
Description: Magical. A tiny white and black pine tree, that looks like it could have been modeled using pixie bones and bloodied rat's fur. Usually grows in a small pot, into which the blood of many enemies has been poured.
Uses: Makes a nice decoration. Such a small tree is always grown by cultivation. A necromancer can use the energies emanating from it to bolster and improve his undead, but it cannot animate undead on it's own.
Animating such a tree can result in a small, frighteningly irritable walking tree. Such trees usually become necromancers themselves.

[flabort]

Names: Skycap, Fireworm
"Hmm. Trug hold meat over mushroom. meat turn hot-brown. See? Called cooking"
Description: Magical. These mushrooms are known for their intense heat, and periodic blasts of steam. The mycelia produce great amounts of heat, upwards of 150 degrees Celsius, and contain a great many air pockets. Not all of the airpockets are so hot all the time, though. They seem to push hot air around between themselves, like a living being's heart pushes blood between multiple chambers.
The fruiting bodies resemble tall, open hollow tubes, stuck into the ground and slightly curved. It get's it's name, Skycap, from the fact that it looks like a mushroom that's blown it's cap off to the sky. A slight gusting breeze can be felt if one holds one's hand over the open tube. This breeze, however, is hot enough to cook meat over.
Sometimes rain will collect in the fruiting body, which flows down into one of the air pockets in the mycelia. The water will sit there for hours, sometimes days in a particularly large specimen, and sometimes pass between air pockets. Eventually, that air pocket will heat up past boiling, and the steam will build up pressure, until it is forced out, and it bursts out of the fruiting body in a whoosh of steam, carrying it's spores with it.
For an unknown reason, the fruiting body never seems to die, and grows constantly. They can range from an inch or two, to almost three feet in height. Because they never die, this also means that if there's a colony present, it will have several hundred fruiting bodies.
Uses: certain tribes of various nomadic or savage cultures and races have learned to settle around cultures of Skycap. Doing so means that they don't have to build large cooking fires, and occasionally get to watch the bursts of steam that come after the rains.
Some people dig up parts of the mycelia, the air pockets, which resemble hollow potato skins, and use them to keep their blankets warm. These lose their heat after a while, but harvesting only a few air-pockets out of a large colony won't destroy the colony completely, and it can be cultivated. These air-pockets are also popular amongst some wizards, who use them as spell components.

[RationalGoblin]

Excellent stuff. I mean, I can't think of anything to add, but I'll definitely be using some of these in a campaign setting.

[DodgerH2O]

Names: Spicebark, Red Skull Flower

The wrinkled, olive-skinned creature crawled slowly up the stony cliff and pulled itself over with a final effort. It coughed feebly as it rolled below the plume of billowing, spicy-scented smoke that belched from the hillside below. It knew it had to keep moving, get away from the smoke and flames, but it could not move itself, and everything seemed so pleasant right where it was. Hours later, it awoke, feeling sluggish and drained. The smoke had cleared and it gazed down at a patch of charred but still intact stems. Shrugging at the strange phenomenon, the creature continued towards its dwelling, resolving to return in a season and examine the plant further.

Description: A bushy, low-growing plant with pungent scarlet flowers. The bark is tough, but can be scraped off with a knife and the plant will form a callus of a waxy, spicy sap that hardens into an amber-like substance. Its thick leaves turn brown to yellow as the seasons change and will form a dense carpet beneath small stands of the plant. It grows in nutrient-poor soils in high elevations and is common in ancient quarries and the like.

Leaves: The leaves are inedible and difficult for most creatures to break down. The waxy covering burns well though, and fires will clear out several feet of leaf litter in mere hours.

Flowers: 5-petaled and shaped in a manner that vaguely resembles a human skull. They are small, but form in large number. A smell of sweet and pleasantly acidic nectar wafts from them and insects flock to the plant in droves.

Uses: The plant is often cultivated for its sap, which is sold as an exotic incense and often dissolved in small amounts in alcoholic beverages. The entire plant has a narcotic substance that induces a pleasant lethargy and euphoria but in large doses acts as a poison. Tolerance to the poisonous aspects of the plant are acquired through constant low-dose exposure, but frequent use results in a hollow, sunken appearance due to the toll on the body. The flowers are often gathered for removal of agricultural pests, and bundles of the vibrant blossoms placed in granaries kill insect and rodent vermin alike.

[Elemental]

This is back? Excellent.
Let me see...

Names: Heavenly Cedar, Navorn Cedar, Cedar of the Sun.

Description: The heavenly cedar resembles a standard cedar, but grows to the significantly greater height of eighty metres. It is found growing on the slopes of mountains in semi-arid regions.

Uses: The heavenly cedar is valued for its resilient and aromatic timber, but its true value lies in the oil extracted from the tree's needles.
This oil has powerful preservative properties that are nigh indispensable in certain embalming traditions. However, some have turned this poperty to a darker, more sinister purpose.
Necromancers have deduced that undead created with the aid of this oil do not decay, and thus do not give off the odour so prevalent around them. Certain liches have also used this to great effect, fooling people into thinking they were alive for decades after their death.


EDIT: Gah! I only just noticed all the spelling errors. I'm terrible at typing...

[Inglenook]

So many good ideas in here. *tries to think some up*

[Pokonic]

Orcish Scarskin, Flaming Rotshroom, Drakeskin

The young grunt rushed his brother to the camp, for he suffered a massive wound from some elven swordsman a few yards ahead. The tribal shamen took one look at him and was agast at the deep cut. Hurring to the old firepit from a week ago, he took the strange, bubbly lump of mouldy bark, scraped a large chunk of it off it, and crushed the growth in his fist, all while hissing in pain. The young orc wached as the strange substance was weeping a yellow-red ooze that hurt his eyes to look at. The shamen placed the stuff on the tearing warrior, who nearly cried out in pain. The shamen directed the orc to wait a few moments, and then he would be fit to go out and fight again.

Description: Mildly Magical. The moldy growth settles along the remains of creatures burnt by fire, and the grey growth that settles along the eages of such firepits weep a reddish pus-like substance when prodded or crushed.

Flesh: Thick and gross, few cultures would dare to eat the rubbery skin of the mold. The grey substance tastes much like ashes mixed with raw meat, which makes it a unplesent thing on all acounts.

Liquid: The thick, pus like substance within is the true treasure by all acounts. Effectivly a crude but effective healing salve, the subsance is known for closing nearly every wound imaginable. However, the pain the substance causes vi touch is best discribed as having a brand sealing ones open wound. The use of this also causes horrid, painless scars on the wounded area, no matter of later treatment. However, it will seal the wound and stop the bleeding, no matter the wound.


Users: The orcs where the first to use this potent substance. First used by a clever shamen after finding it lining the firepits of the camps, he used it to great effect by saving warriers who would normaly bleed out and die otherwise, alowing for them to fight off many a elven invader. Eventualy, it was spread in aliances with Lizerdfolk and there related races, for the salve was valued for healing wounds that would normaly scum to infection thanks to there slow-healing scales. Kolbolds also cultivate it over there filth-pits, which they burn to promote its growth. Many primitive races hold that one who can cut themselves open and apply this potent substance without crying out in pain has the right to call himself a adult. Orcs are fond of freaking out apponents by having a shamen knock him out, cut him up, and then bath him in the brew. Apperently, a orc with more scar tissue than actual skin is a scary sight for a army leader.

[Elemental]

Names: Scarlet Orange, Devil's Fruit

Description: Identical to a normal orange tree, save that it's fruit is a vivid scarlet.
Scarlet Orange is a very rare tree found only in a few isolated areas. It's fruit is actually quite delicious, but its magical properties make eating it very dangerous.

Uses: Scarlet Orange trees are cursed. Anyone who takes a bite of the fruit become afflicted with an uncontrollable lust for the fruit, and will stop at nothing to get it.
However, distilling the juice will yield a magical oil useful in "love" potions.

Historical Information: The curse upon Scarlet Oranges was put there by a wizard. He had been insulted and mocked by a noble who grew vast quantities of Scarlet Oranges in his orchards, in fact, it was his primary source of wealth.
The noble in question was actually allergic to citrus, and as such was not directly affected by the curse. But his family and estate-workers were, not to mention the hundred who purchased the cursed oranges.
The resulting mass-madness caused by the cursed fruit resulted in the noble being turn to pieces by his own family who believed he had more of the fruit.