Blood Radish

The blood radish is an anomalous vegetable of unknown origin, found in the arid dry areas of the northwestern part of the DSRR. The name comes from the fact that the skin of the blood radish is very thick and viscous, like a liquid. This liquid is a very potent dye for clothing and other textiles.
==Description==
Blood radishes are small, crimson root vegetables that grow in the ground. The top of a blood radish is adorned with a set of three leaves. The leaves have a pinkish hue, with minute vein-like tubes under their surface. The leaves of the blood radish are paper-thin, and very sharp; if not handled with care, it is easy to cut oneself on the leaves. Blood radishes are not diverse at all, and are often identical in size. The texture of a blood radish is very slippery and slimy, like blood. However, while in the ground, the plants are very dry and rough. The blood radish's root is shockingly sweet, with a sour aftertaste. While they are safe to be eaten raw, blood radishes are often pickled, as the sourness is brought out by the pickle brine.
==Reproduction and Commercial Use==
Blood radishes are impossible to domesticate, as any methods of mass production have been met with sour, bitter, brown plants. Wild radishes are plentiful, however, so there is no worry of over-harvesting. When left in the wild, blood radishes seem to sprout from thin air. However, under the soil, the blood radish's stem is able to split from its body and burrow through the soil, engorging itself to full size over the course of a month by absorbing nutrients from the soil. It finally sprouts leaves when in bloom. This cycle is impossible to domesticate, so farmers tend to leave these vegetables to their own devices, harvesting once they see new leaves. Commercially, blood radishes are diverse: their flesh is quite sweet and addictive, making them an ideal snack throughout the day. Blood radishes must be kept in a closed container full of water, which stains the water red. This liquid is very vibrant and hard to remove, akin to a chemical stain. For this reason, this blood radish byproduct is often sold as dye, and used in clothing, and other easy to stain material.
==Anomalous Properties==
Blood radish plants in the wild seem to have the anomalous property of gaining sentience under the right conditions, which are currently unknown. In the northwestern mountain region lives a sentient blood radish, known as "Reddish". Reddish seems to know how to tend for blood radishes. While Reddish has no mouth, he is able to communicate through his singular, bulbous eye, since looking into it tells you exactly what he wants to say. Reddish is a very paternal character, often seen farming and raising blood radishes as if they were his children. Reddish wields a (presumably stolen) pitchfork, which he uses to protect his farmland from Inferno Ibexes. Reddish happily allows farmers to harvest his crop, as he takes pride in his blood radishes being given purpose. 
Category:Flora and Fauna