Nectara Tree

Commonly found in the southern hemisphere of Stora, Nectara trees have been long associated with wealth due to the fickle nature of their growth conditions and the sweet fruit they produce once mature.

## **Description**

Nectara trees have a thin, paper like bark which can peel away when placed under trauma, this bark is usually a pale red-ish brown but can be stained darker by environmental pollutants. When a portion of bark is ready to shed away, a rough dark line will accumulate on the highest part of the shedding selection, the weight of the accumulated line allows gravity to aid in the shedding process, or attract certain species to actively peel the area away for their own use.

The wood produced by nectara trees is a pale brown hardwood with a relatively high water concentration within its sap wood.

Branches on nectara trees begin relatively large but splinter into smaller whip like branches where it houses its leaves, these branches grow continue growing even when reaching the ground. Leaves on their branches are green-ish yellow in colour and grow uniformly in a pointed oval shape along the thin branches length.

Flowers grow out from swollen areas on the larger branches which hold higher concentrations of water, the locations for these growths are always on the underside of the branches. These flowers are made of interlocked petals which form a long cone like shape with multiple stamen and a pistil reaching the flower entrance.

Typically the colour of the flowers will match the acidic conditions of the soil it was first formed, with red being the most acidic, which has the potential to cause the flowers to be infertile, and yellow being the perfect level of acidity. If the soil is not acidic enough it will not produce flowers.

The fruit developed from the successfully pollenated flowers, also known as a nectara, is a smooth, thin skinned yellow fruit, with a thick internal layer of white edible flesh, and a core holding sweet, semi-viscous and cloudy liquid similar in taste to honey. The seeds in this fruit are embedded in the white flesh closest to the core and are safe to ingest.

## **Lifecycle**

Nectara trees require a steady source of clean water to grow as well as mildly acidic soil. As the tree grows it will increase the acidity of the local soil and requires rebalancing, in nature this is done either through the roots being connected to a running water source, such as a river or a deep well, or the local area frequently experiences flooding. In commercial nectara orchards special fertilisers and similar water treatments are artificially administered.

Once mature nectara tree will begin to produce flowers if the conditions are right, but only during the month of Yevelt, fruit will begin to develop near the end of the month and be ready during the Univer.

Dropped fruit will attract wildlife to eat it, mainly bears and other creatures attracted to sweet foods, this allows the seeds in the flesh to be distributed by animal excretions.

## **Uses**

* Sap produced by this tree is bitter and mildly toxic, however it can be made into a versatile adhesive when distilled.
* The fruit is sweet and can be eaten raw or prepared in meals.
* The liquid from the fruit core is often used a substitute for eating in patients who have lost their appetite.

## **Trivia**

* The church of the Merciful Earth Mother reference a nectara tree grown underground within the old veins to tempt and distract Kest on their journey.