Silgrad Tower from the Ashes

Here we have a major contribution to the Botany Books from the university of Silgrad's very own Dr Atatidante. Please note that this is volume one, and that there may well be a second volume in the makings, and so the Botany Books is seeking submissions for this.

Further illustrations, screenies etc, as for th eother volumes of the Botany Books will be most welcome for this volume.

:bananarock: :bananarock: :bananarock: :bananarock: Dr A

Quote:A bit of a disclaimer first:

A. This book is a work based on the plants of Cyrodiil and not Vvardenfell but I thought that it would be a valuable addition none-the-less since its all tamriel goddamnit. XD

B. there are some plants in here that dont exist ingame:
Hibiscus
Kings Crown
Lover's Lupine
-This is because I intended to add these plants to the game in my mod. Disregard them if you feel so inclined. Personaly I like the entries so I kept them in.

C. Regarless of the books title- this is not a difinitave source of Cyrodiil's flowering flora so PLEASE feel free to add, revise, discard, or otherwise mutilate. I would love it if i had other input beyond my own.

also im sure this is out of date and others have writen their own entries on many of the plants in here.


and now without further whatever:

Quote:

[SIZE=16]The Cyrdodiilian Edition of the Botany Books
being A Complete and Authoritative Guide to
Flowering Plants of Cyrodiil[/SIZE]
2nd Edition


Penned and Printed under the Authority of the Imperial Botanical Society,
Loyal servants to Emperor Uriel Septim VII.

Praise be to Akatosh and all the Nine.


Accreditations:
Nalion Leoriane must be accredited for his great Morrowind compilation and for being part of my inspiration. My friend Darliandor and his alchemy lab provided a good deal of information on to what all these blasted ingrediants do also.

(* note this fine edition has been included in the Botany Books through the auspices of Dr Ataridante and under agreement with the Imperial Botanical Society.)


3E 406


----------Forward----------

To my mothers skirt I cling,
Far flows my emerald gown
And on my crown there sits this thing
For hue it is renowned.

Nirns gift I am, handmaid to soil,
I dance in gentle breeze.
And by thy hand, through tireless toil,
I blossom just for thee

-Anonymous Poet c. 2E 230

Contrasting other plant species in Tamriel, flowering plants are striking, copious, and widespread. They are a most important aspect to our treasured science of botany. Green flowering plants have an innate mystical ability to soak in and covert magical energies of Aetherius through the holes of Magnus and the stars, then synthesize it in the heart of the plant and release it as breath. It is that breath that supports all Fauna, Man and Mer on Nirn. Flowering plants also hold deeply important Medicinal and Alchemical role in our society and, thusly, a basic knowledge of the flowering plants of Tamriel should be among the populace's general knowledge.
Much has been written about flowering plants and every reader of this guide shall miss that which he regards worthy of his knowledge, while discovering other facts trivial in nature. However, It is our want and duty to provide all known knowledge on this subject to our readers ? trivial or profound ? in hopes of a more enlightened Empire.

-The Imperial Botanical Society, Established 3E 93

----------Volume I: Cyrodiil----------

Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera or simply Aloe is a succulent plant, with perennial, strong and fibrous roots and numerous, persistent, fleshy leaves, proceeding from the upper part of the root, tapering, thick and fleshy, usually beset at the edges with spiny teeth. Many of the species are woody and branching and are found predominantly in costal Hammerfell and along the Gold Coast of Cyrodiil. It boasts large yellowy flowers that bloom frequently and unmitigated. The Aloe Vera plant is grown for its leaves that, when shucked from the plant and eaten, are a font of vivacity, especially if properly combined with the leaves of the Ginkgo Plant. An excerpt from The Flora of Hammerfell says this of the Aloe:
?The ancients know well the efficacy of the Aloe. It is a wondrous herb, useful in staunching the flow of blood and in promoting the healing of wounds. It has also been found to lessen the effect of the pox. An elixir may be simply made by combining the liquor from a crushed leaf with purest water."

Alkanet
A common wildflower, The Alkanet can be found in many instances along the banks of the Stird, between Kvatch and Skingrad and even as far south as northern Valenwood. The Alkanet plant boasts delicate blue flowers that grow, two at a time, at both a central point of the Alkanet?s single spindly stem and also at its tip. The foliage of the Alkanet is bright green, pointed and slightly serrated in appearance. Commercially, the Alkanet root yields a fine red coloring matter often used in dye and to tint tinctures, oils, wines, and wood varnishes. It is often employed to improve the appearance of poor grades of port and similar wines, and to give the appearance of age to wine corks. A seasoned wine consumer may be apt to taste the subtleties of the Alkanet but to a less educated tongue the wine may as well be of the early Third Era. The flowers of the Alkanet are also of economical value due to their usefulness as a fortification against venoms and other toxins.

Arrowroot
The Arrowroot is a large herbaceous plant that thrives on the western banks of Valenwood and also along Cyrodiil?s Gold Coast. It has large cordate, pointed, almost heart-shaped, leaves and small white flowers all set at the top of meager stems. The true beauty of the Arrowroot lies in Nirn?s soil. The plants root system is made up of a singular tuberous root who?s starch when prepared in a mortar and pestle and is not only nutritious but also makes the sluggish more agile and temporarily offers a burst of strength. Many Bosmer of Valenwood carry pulp derived from the Arrowroot?s tuber in pouches for luck on the hunt.

Bergamot
Each instance of Bergamot sports a single showy, scarlet flower and is very aromatic in nature leading it to be a favorite in Imperial gardens. The plant can be found wild in the fertile stretch of land spanning from the Nibenay Basin to the Great Forest. The plants stem is squarish and hard, usually growing to a height of two feet and its leaves stand, bracket like, pale-green and tinged with red, along the stem it at regular intervals.
Bergamot seeds when crushed into a powder by use of a mortar and pestle can be used as a fortification against many less deadly diseases and in potent poisons that dispel and cause muting of the voice.

Columbine
The Columbine is a native flower of Cyrodiil that can be found in the southwestern Heartlands or the extremely fertile area of the West Weald that constitutes the road between Skingrad and Kvatch. Columbine grows on a single stalk that divides and bears up to three or four flowers. The leaves of the Columbine are trifoliate, containing three leaflets, and have lacerate edges. The petals of the Columbine blossom are red and explode, yellow tipped and feather-like, at the top of the flower. The name Columbine is said to be derived for an early Merethic reference to a bird in flight. It seems that to the Former- these flowers resembled flying birds. The plant is used predominantly for decorative purposes and is often found potted or arranged in the great halls of Cyrodiil?s nobility. The root pulp of the columbine is sometimes used to cure hangovers and can restore a drunkard?s lost "personable disposition" and thus is sometimes found in taverns and pubs.

Domica Redwort
A native of both Cyrodiil and Valenwood, the Domica Redwort boasts truly beautiful and ostentatious flowers that are crimson and feathery in nature and often very tall. In addition to their beauty, they are said to have magical abilities to enhance the appearance of anyone who carries or wears one of the flowers. This, however, has not been scientifically proven. What is known of the usefulness of the Domica Redwort is it?s propensity as an antidote for many poisons as well as its widespread use as pigment in both paint and dye. Any artisan will swear by the pigment of the Domica Redwort to be the truest and purest hue of red.

Fennel
Found in the western Colovian Highlands, Fennel is a hardy herb that can winter many seasons without falter or withering. Both flower and the foliage are unique to Tamriel in that they have distinct and different structures that they adhere to. The leaves of the Fennel plant are skeletal in appearance. The flowers, tinted anywhere from yellow to white, grow, clustered on separate stems from the top of the central stalk in resemblance to a bouquet. The seeds of the fennel plant have long been a staple spice in Cyrodiilic cooking and thus are a cash crop of the region of Colovia. Not only is the Fennel seed a valuable spice but it is often ground up or boiled into potions that restore vigor to tired travelers or in poisons that immediately immobilize their sufferer.

Flax
The Flax plant is deep-rooted and intertwined in the economical histories of Cyrodiil. Its versatility and multitude of uses have given the abundant plant great value to any herbalist or farmer. The stem of the Flax plant produces a fiber that is one of the oldest and most respected in all of Tamriel. The Flax plant is harvested while still green, pulled up by the roots, and soaked in water. After the non-fibrous material rots off the Flax is threshed and the seeds removed. The cloth made from spun Flax fiber, called Linen, is more durable and cheaper even than Kresh and Wool. Many shirts and pants today are made from the Linen of the Flax plant. Linen, like its fiber bearing relative from Morrowind, the Kreshweed, is commonplace in Cyrodiilic Households. It is most commonly found manifested as bedspreads, tablecloths, curtains and pillowcases. When properly oiled or rubbed with the wax of a Dreugh- Linen can be made waterproof and is versatile as material for shoes, tents and traveler?s mantles. On its stems, the Flax plant bears as many as thirteen fetching flowers that can be any of five or so hues of color spanning from pink to blue to yellow, that fan out in all directions from the plant?s base, and produces valuable seeds. The seeds of the Flax plant, at one time, where used as currency by many Second Era hamlets before the introduction of our unifying Septim. Today, some commoners still accept payment with Flax seeds being that they are still a valuable trade good. The seeds of the flax plant are used to create oils for cooking and varnishing and are also dried and crushed up to be used as a way to restore Magicka or summon up a magical shield.

Foxglove
The Common Foxglove of the woods, perhaps the handsomest of our indigenous plants, is widely distributed throughout Cyrodiil and is common as a wild-flower in and around many of her Cities, growing freely in woods and lanes in the Nibenay basin, particularly near Beadrock Break. The Foxglove is a biennial plant but its roots can shoot up flowers for several seasons. In the first year of the plants life a rosette of leaves is sent up followed by one or more flowering, which can be as tall as a Bosmer, and bear long pikes of drooping bell shaped flowers which are often violet in color. As a rule the flowers are in perfection in Sun?s Height. The nectar of the Foxglove can be used to fortify ones-self against a myriad of deadly diseases and toxins. Caution must be used, however, for an overdose of any part of the Foxglove can be a detremental or even fatal.

Ginseng
The Ginseng plant can be found thriving in the rich coastal plains of the upper Gold Coast. The Ginseng plant is a native to Tamriel?s mysterious eastern neighbor Akavir and was brought over to Cyrodiil by Akaviri merchant-sailors during the rule of the Akaviri Potentate Versidue-Shaie. The name stems from the Akaviri belief that the Ginseng is a mystical lord of all herbs. The Ginseng plant?s literal translation is ?wonder of the world?. The plant its self, wonder or no, is a truly beautiful plant with golden blossoms as radiant as the region in which it flourishes. The foliage of the Ginseng plant is a bright green and coarse and if properly prepared, are a potent cure for any poison. However, if improperly prepared the Ginseng plant can damage ones good luck or even cause burdensome pressure uppon ones self.

Goldenrod
The many-rooted Goldenrod, found predominantly along the Gold Coast north of the port-city Anvil, is called such because of its spikes of simple golden yellow flowers that are shot up annually around Second Seed. The plant grows to a height of about a foot and is widely regarded as a weed due to its creeping, invasive tendencies. The leaves at the base of the plant are bright green and pointed, while the leaves on the flower stem are smaller ovals. Despite the Goldenrod's invasive habits and status as a weed, its seed pods, often white and fluffy like cotton, are of some alchemical use and can be used as a poison to shutter its sufferer's mouth and mute their voice.

Hibiscus
The Hibiscus plant is often refered to as the Rosemallow due to its nature of being a flowering relative of the Vvardenfellian Marshmallow. The Hibiscus finds itself plentifull throughout much of sothern Tamriel and its tropical relatives are especially abundant all across the provincial Summerset Islands of the Altimer. The tropical Hibiscus blossoms year round and boasts the largest documented blooms of any plant in all Nirn- which have been known to span, petal to petal, over three two four feet. Though the grandeur of the Tropical hibiscus is lost to its northern sisters of Cyrodiil,the Tamrielian Rosemallow holds simmilar alchemical usefullness as a restorative herb. The petals when plucked from the hibiscus and finely ground can be made into a bitter and potent salve. This salve is without a doubt one of the most cogent alternatives to a potion of Restore Magicka.

King?s Crown
Often referred to in antiquated texts as Three Crowns, Elf Coronet, and the King Imperial, the King?s Crown is a truly ponderous plant. Sadly, the plant was picked to extinction in the late Second Era so no modern day studies can be made of it. What is known of the plant is the King?s Crown is said to have originated in Aldmeris and was brought to the Summerset isles by the first settlers. The original Foremer, the Forefathers of modern-day elves, were said to cherish the plant they called the Ald?lilis Divine, now known to be the very same Kings Crown.
It is also said that the plant was cultivated as a food plant, its bulb possessing poisonous properties when raw, but being wholesome, even supernatural, when cooked. The plant bore upon three stalks, three circles of pendulous flowers ?crimson to orange in color- all with crown of emerald foliage above them.
Sadly, due to a lack of known documentation of this mythic flora, little else is known of the flower or its Alchemical properties.

Lover's Lupine
Originally cultivated as ornamental plants, the handsome blossom of the Lover's Lupine is a truly beautiful and enchanting sight, shooting up dark bluish-green palmate leaves, divided into oval-lance-shaped segments, per annum. It grows in multitude in the southern Nibenay Valley, especially dotting the banks of the Panther River. Those unenlightened to the details of its botany believe the title "Lover's Lupine" to stem from its ancient use as an aphrodisiac. This, however, is not so. It is in fact given its name for the rare occasion of its flowers, whose buds bloom and last barely a month before closing back up. The Lupine?s stunning spikes of pea-like alabaster flowers are visible only in the month of Sun's Dawn under the sign of The Lover. The plants name stems from this affinity to the stars. The Lover's Lupine itself is no more an aphrodisiac than the common Wickwheat of Vvardenfell. Recently, however, Alchemists have discovered its fresh petals to be an excellent ingredient in all manners of Night Eye draughts. It is also known among Alchemists and Botanists for its cryptic connection to the myth of an "Elixir of Eternal Life", though there is little more than theory to bolster this remark.

Morning Glory
Found principally south of the Cyrodiil's Great Forest, the Morning Glory?s vine-like foliage, arrow-shaped and delicate in texture, is very striking. The flowers range from a very delicate tint of azure to a light magenta and are intervallic along the vine. Its roots are long; tapering, covered with a light grey bark and containing a milky juice. A gummy, resinous pulp can be obtained from this milky juice of the root by clearing away the soil from the upper part of the root and cutting off the top obliquely and fixing a vessel in such a position as to receive the exuding juice, which gradually hardens and becomes the pulp of commerce. The city of Skingrad is known for her beautiful lengths of Morning Glory that hang from almost every windowsill climb along her walls. This pulp can be used as a poison to damage the Magicka and strength of mind of its sufferer.

Motherwort
The Motherwort plant is a common tall plant with green three fingered, hastate shaped leaves and many small blue to white flowers, intervallic, growing from the base to the tip of the stalk. It is found along roads in the West Weald near the city of Skingrad, to the north and west of the Imperial Capital and in the highlands of Colovia and the Jerall Mountains. A great concentration of Motherwort can be found to the northeast of the city of Bruma at Dragonclaw rock. An old wives tale claims that sprigs of Motherwort can bring an end to most calamitous palpitations of the heart especially that of shock. This is partially true but fresh sprigs of Motherwort are more valuable due to their use as an anti-venom.

Nightshade
Though widely distributed over Southern Tamriel, especially the province of Elsweyr, Nightshade is not common in Cyrodiil, and has become rarer of late. It has been sparingly found in central and southern Cyrodiil on the boarder of Elsweyr, also known as the West Weald, mostly near old ruins. Under shade of trees, it will grow most luxuriantly, forming bushy plants several feet high. The leaves are dull, darkish green in color and the flowers, which appear Mid Year to Sun?s Height, are of a dark and dingy purplish color, tinged with a light pink. The flowers petals are intensely sweet, yet dangerously toxic. The fresh plant, when crushed, exhales a disagreeable odor, almost disappearing on drying, and the leaves have a bitter taste, when both fresh and dry. The plant has been known to produce a potent poison that can damage ones good health. Alternatively Kajiit thieves of Elsweyr tuck leaves of Nightshade into their cloaks to increase their facility to slink and even become undetectable.

Peony
Peony plants bear attractive, glossy green foliage but their popularity is due mainly to their flowers. The most striking peony flowers are the highly fragrant, massive, usually pink, red or white. Other colors and flower types do exist in other provinces but they are to be covered in a later volume. Peony blooms are especially beautiful around the month of Mid Year and grow in concentration in south Cyrodiil, chiefly in the West Weald. In ancient times, the seeds used to be strung as a necklace and worn as a charm against malevolent spirits. Merethic texts proclaim the seeds of the Peony to be a potent ward against all manners of nightmares and malevolent spirits.
This has been studied extensively and botanists have found this to be nothing more than an old wives' tale. Peony seeds are still used today in both poison and tonic and have been known to restore strength in times of weakness.

Primrose
The Primrose plant grows copiously in woods, hedgerows, pastures and on the embankments of the heavy-trodden paths southeast of Kvatch and is in full flower during Rain's Hand and Second Seed. In sheltered spots in mild winters it is often found in blossom during the opening days of the year. The flowers are each on separate stalks and are very low to the ground. Sometimes confused with its highland relative the Mandrake the Primrose can be distinguished by its large white flowers and thinner leaves. The vegetation of the primrose has been used, not only as a good luck charm, but also as a way of restoring ones strength of mind and physical charm.


Wormwood
The frozen northern mountains of north Cyrodiil and southern Skyrim are home a most peculiar herb, the Wormwood plant. Wormwood is a hardy low growing shrub of silvery-green leaves that resemble the fronds of a fern and blue flowers positioned, intervalic, along its stems. The plant is easily noticible in the wild for it almost sparkles under the light of Maser and Secunda. The leaves of the plant are held in high regard by the ancient men of Atmora and Skyrim due to its prowes as a catalyst in many shamanic rituals. There is no known proof that the Wormwood plant is such a powerfull aid in Divination and Mystiscism but the leaves of the wormwood, though tough and fiberous, can greatly recouperate the tired and haggard.

Appendix
sources
Special Flora of Hammerfell - esp Aloe Vera
Special Flora of Tamriel - espaspects of nightshade and sundries.
The Flora of Morrowind: An Alchemists' Resource
Fundementals of Alchemy
Darliandor's Alchemy Lab - properties of ingredients

I quoted the Special Flora of Hammerfell in my Aloe Vera section
It Can be found here.
I also got lots of usefull info from this ingame book <3<3. especialy some of the lore aspects of nightshade etc.
Special Flora of Tamriel
I dont think i used any info from this guide but Nalion Leoriane must be accredited for his great morrowind compilation and for being part of my inspiration.
The Flora of Morrowind: An Alchemists' Resource
fundamentals of alchemy was important tooo
Fundementals of Alchemy
my friend darliandor and his alchemy lab provided a good deal of information on to what all these blasted ingrediants do
Darliandor's Alchemy Lab
and not to mention imput for people on the TES official forums and Here at ST


thanks a ton, Ataridante

so my addition is not at all complete. as far as floweing plants in cyrodiil go.... just about every plant used in alchemy flowers!! hahah.

were missing some more flowering plants such as Monkshood as well as Lady's mantle and smock. also lavender, sacred lotus, st. jahn's wort, vipers bugloss, water hyacinth, tiger lilly,and one of my personal favorites The Mana Bloom (im gonna try to write up on this)
mugwort makes a breif appearence aswell in seed form

and some non-flowering plants such as: dragons tounge,sominallius frond
(normal fern?) the many fruit bearing bushes and veggi's of Cyrodiil

then theres the imperial maple trees those pink ground covering flowers and all the ferns bushes and vines that you cant harvest to think about too!

dont forget about all the wheat flour and rice that is around too!

and what of spriggians????

theres so much more that can be added before a comprehensive volume can be amasssed. :yes: :yes:

:eek: Cor, sounds like Vol2 might be even better than Vol1

it should be "cyrodiilic" instead of "cyrododiilian"

More :eek: Lady N on spellfest... :eek:

Is lady N a -Bleep-in dictionary or something?

on another note;
Cool :goodjob:. an alchemy ingredient book for OB finaly in the works.

Lady N is a paragon of Lady Nness, and not to be taken lightly.

[1ST]T[/1ST]he Botany Books is not merely an Alchemy ingredient Book - maybe if you read through all the editions and checked the ST TES3 quests forum for University of Silgrad and the Cerro you might begin to see.

it is oh so much more O.o

:]

haha flyboy, even if Lady N was a pain-in-the-***, which shes not, you dont have to post it RIGHT under something she posted so she'll be one of the next to read it.

MC be with flyboy.

edit: wow i can't believe i forgot!! that book is awesome. i never really was into alchemy or the ingredients, but this is a great guide. kudos.

fr