The Flora of Kalidore

[Lady Whimsy]

This is the place for all you budding botanists to leave your mark on Kalidore by identifying and categorizing the wonderful greenery that covers the land. This is also the place to discover the properties of those plants - magical, medicinal, or even... usual (one can never have too many singing venus flytraps, after all).

Lady Whimsy ~

[Admin]

We need big huge lilies and orchids and lots of magical trees that can speak to the ones who care to listen.

[silentmoon]

Now this one kind of thing I can get used too *has a major thing for plants*

We could have differently colored trees. Ones that are pepperminted scented! They could change colors in the Fall (if there are any changing seasons) and maybe other colors like blue or a deep teal?

Talking trees... or how about whispering trees? Like the whispering willows (I think that's a real species). You sit down next to one, and they mock you or tell you valuable things. Not always the things you want to hear, but atleast somethings.

Still working on more plant ideas

[shazzadee86]

i kinda like the thought that we can have bell plants (this world - like bluebells for example) but in kalidore would actually make bell noises when they are moved either by wind or kalidore resident

and then there are always the crazy ideas we can have like tiger lilies that growl when approached and such.

i like the whispering/talking trees idea too *now has disney's pocahontas stuck in head*

ETA: could also have a carnivorous version of a stay-awhile bush/plant - tho i picture this one slightly more vine-like - with thorns - originally i was thinking more an arid area plant - but i guess it would have more camouflage with more trees around... unless we made it store water in it's center to lure in its prey - come in for a drink and stay for dinner type scenario *insert evil laugh* i guess it would depend on the plants size/age as to how dangerous it is (and to what)

[Lady Whimsy]

I like the ringing bluebells... musical things amuse me

Some of the other ideas sound very Piers Anthony (the Xanth novels) and all his pun-tastic or very literal plants. Which is not a bad thing at all, because I did enjoy his books. Maybe... not quite as... silly... as a few of his species, but whimsical and more enchanted plant life I am definitely in favour of

I'm not sure I like "whispering" trees, if only for the reason that trees already talk. *nods nods* You just have to be listening properly ;D Making them speak out loud takes away a little bit from that, and makes them more overt; in general, trees, I think, are very subtle yet powerful creatures.

[zephyr]

I have a lot of ideas. One idea jumped out at me, for the trees - I know that they already talk, but I always imagined, growing up, that the very oldest and wisest trees would sleep, and dream. They are wise, and their biological 'heartbeat' is very slow. They can be spoken to by entering a trance, slowing your heart down and somewhat speaking to their dreams. By running at a slower, longer-spanning time, they can sometimes offer an broader outlook then those more involved in the immediacy. Or so I liked to imagine as a child; when things were sad or depressing, I'd climb one of my so-called 'Great Sleepers' - and imagine myself slowing down to their time, and from that perspective could tell myself, "this will pass too, just breathe and let it go".

On a mundane note, while unicorns and human companions with realised potential may have healing skills, it would make sense to have common plants with medicinal properties or just edible properties - common berries, roots, fruiting trees, grasses, herbs, from things like sweet clover, sage and thyme to aloe vera, milkvetch, and jewelweed.

[Lady Whimsy]

*nods nods* It is this very ability to transcend that makes trees so in touch with the wisdom of ages past, of magic, and allows them to anchor it deep within their roots. *G* I also spent a lot of time in trees as a kid. One of the most heart-breaking things I've experienced in my life was loosing some of my childhood trees to development. Horrendous...

But yes, there are lots of herbal plants on Kalidore. Lilaini is quite the expert on them, having no innate healing abilities herself You should see the stash she has in that cabin of hers... she's got.. well, herbs for, well, everything.... hehe...