Flora

Plants and fungi that exist within the caves and/or on the island. Includes medicinal plants, too.

## Island - Beach

### **Plants**

#### **Discovered**

* Rabbit-ear vine (*Derris elliptica,* aka Tuba root): A vine with long, green leaves like rabbit ears that climbs and crawls. Its flowers are clustered pink ones. An ancient technique for catching fish would be digging up its root, crushing/mashing it, then throwing it into the river - the paralyzed fish would then float to the surface to catch. **The root is poisonous to cats.**
* Turmeric (*Curcuma longa*): The turmeric plant has long, large fanning leaves coming straight up from the ground. When the stem and leaves start turning brown, the root can be harvested. The root is spicy, pungent, and will color anything with an orange or yellow hue due to its pigment. Has medicinal use (see Medicinal section).
* Guava tree (*Psydium guajava*): A small tree with a wide, short canopy and a sturdy single to multi-stemmed trunk. Its fruits are small and green but bright pink inside. The leaves are marbled green with slight serrated edges. The seeds could be a choking hazard for kits, so they're usually not allowed to eat any fruit. Has medicinal use (see Medicinal section).
* Mangrove *(**Rhizophora mangle,* aka Red Mangrove): The dominant trees surrounding and protecting the beach that the Omen Watchers live on. Exposed mangrove roots are used for dens. Mangrove twigs are frequently chewed to clean teeth. **The seed pods are poisonous and can be lethal to kits.**
* Galangal (*Alpinia galanga*): The plant looks similar to turmeric, but the stems are thinner, slightly longer, and there are more [smaller] leaves. Its root looks like ginger but is slightly longer and whiter. Has a pungent, citrus-y scent. Has medicinal use (see Medicinal section).

#### **Medicinal**

* Turmeric: The root can be pounded into a pulp and used for a variety of things, specifically skin diseases. The root can be chewed to relieve headaches and stomachaches, too.
* Guava tree: Its leaves can be crushed into a poultice to treat skin diseases or rashes. Its sap can be put directly onto open wounds to heal them, or the young leaves can be chewed into a poultice to do the same thing. Young leaves, when eaten, can help stomachaches. Mothers are sometimes given guava fruit or juice to restore their energy after a strenuous birth.
* **Undiscovered:** Mangrove: Chewing the bark can help prevent stomach ulcers.
* Galangal: Chewing the root greatly helps nausea. The root can also be made into a poultice to reduce swelling. This poultice can also be mixed with sea salt to help stop itching.

## Caves

### **Plants**

#### **Discovered**

* Turmeric (*Curcuma longa*): The turmeric plant has long, large fanning leaves coming straight up from the ground. When the stem and leaves start turning brown, the root can be harvested. The root is spicy, pungent, and will pigment anything with an orange or yellow hue. Has medicinal use (see Medicinal section).
* Galangal (*Alpinia galanga*): The plant looks similar to turmeric, but the stems are thinner, slightly longer, and there are more [smaller] leaves. Its root looks like ginger but is slightly longer and whiter. Has a pungent, citrus-y scent. Has medicinal use (see Medicinal section).

#### **Medicinal**

* Turmeric: The root can be pounded into a pulp and used for a variety of things, specifically skin diseases. The root can be chewed to relieve headaches and stomachaches, too.
* Galangal: Chewing the root greatly helps nausea. The root can also be made into a poultice to reduce swelling. This poultice can also be mixed with sea salt to help stop itching.