Acorn Grass

Trelstahl

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Acorn Grass

« on: 28 February 2007, 05:54:42 »

Hi everyone,

Well, here's my first entry. I am interested in setting a story in Caltharia, and noticed that Acorn Grass is mentioned in the account on the Dogodan Hobbits, and is an important plant of the Alianian Hills. This account has nothing to do with my story, but hopefully will be useful background information (and of interest to all us green-thumbs)! Cheers!

Trel.

Last edit: Mira's comments now included.

Acorn Grass

a) Categorization
Grass

b) Basic Overview of the Plant
Acorn grass is an important plant of the Alianian Hills, where it is primarily found. Its range extends along the coast of the Adanian Sea as far as the town of Veltin, where further spread is restricted by drier, cooler climates to the north. On the Alianian Hills, thick stands of Acorn grass carpet the ground, whereas further north between Istarin and Veltin, it is only found sporadically on windswept hillsides and only reaches half its potential height of 4 fores. It grows in a thick mat that holds soil in place even on the steepest slopes, which prevents soil from being washed away by the intense winds and rains that strike the Alianian Hills during the winter months. The diminutive residents of these hills, the Dogodan halflings, use the young, green leaves as forage for livestock in the spring, and in autumn, they harvest the fibrous stems of Acorn grass to produce baskets and hats.

c) Description
The plant emerges in mid-spring, the leaves are light green in colour, and are tender and hairless. Leaves are 2 fores long and 1 nailsbreadth in width once they are fully elongated. For the first two months after emergence, Acorn grass leaves are quite sweet, which makes them very palatable to livestock. As the plant matures through the drier summer months, the leaves lose some of their sweetness and turn a deep green colour, and the plant begins to produce wiry stems that possess a tough vein of tissue that runs down their length. This vein of tissue gives the stems good tensile strength that makes it withstand wear and renders it useful for the production of baskets and hats. The stems of the plant reach their greatest height late in the summer in the fertile soil of the Alianian Hills, standing at most 4 fores in height.

Acorn grass thrives in the fertile soils of the Alianian Hills, which are situated between the Ancytharian and the Adanian Seas. The dryness that follows the rainy season – between late fall and mid-spring in this region – encourages the plant to flower and eventually go dormant. The flowers are small (less than 1 grain in length), wispy, and found at the tips of the stems. Through autumn, the stems turn a golden yellow, which drastically alters the appearance of the Alianian Hills, and the flowers produce seeds. It is at this point – just as the plant begins to flower – that the Dogodan hobbits will cut the Acorn grass using sharp scythes to use the stems for baskets, garlands and other items. Unlike the flowers, the seeds are quite large (3 to 4 grains in diameter), and look like small acorns when viewed up close, even turning a dark brown colour by late autumn. It is the appearance of these seeds that gives Acorn grass its name, and helps to reinforce the nickname - The Acornlands - given to the area in which it is found, though the area originally was called this due to the presence of the beautiful white oak trees.

Though the plant produces a long-lived root system, the roots can die back during the winter months. The Dogodan hobbits will purposely leave stretches of the Acorn grass unharvested each year, to allow the plant to produce seeds that will help replenish portions of the stand that are sometimes killed by early summer frosts in some years. The stems that hold the seed heads upright become brittle during the winter so they break off, which causes the entire seed head to be tossed around in the wind. As the seed heads are thrown around, the seeds fall off the plant and are spread around.

d) Territory
Found on the Southern Sarvonian continent, Acorn grass grows primarily on the Alianian Hills, though it can be found along the coast of the Adanian Sea as far as the town of Veltin. It is unable to spread further north into cooler, less temperate climates, and drier soils and higher temperatures limit its southward spread.

e) Usages
The Dogodan halflings use the young, green leaves to feed livestock in the spring, and they harvest the fibrous stems of Acorn grass in the fall to produce baskets and hats. Humans in the area also use the stems for animal bedding during the winter months if straw is in short supply. Sometimes the seeds are roasted and salted as a snack, but they must be harvested late in the fall once they fully ripe and have lost their bitterness.

f) Reproduction
The stems that hold the seed heads upright become brittle during the winter so they break off, which causes the entire seed head to be tossed around in the wind. The seed heads roll around on the ground, spreading the seeds over the soil. Seeds can be dispersed up to fifty fores from the plant that produced them, and will quickly grow the following spring. A portion of the seeds will remain dormant in the soil for several years, and suddenly sprout after a particularly cold winter. The root system allows the plant to live many years, but does not spread rapidly, so its primary method of reproduction is by seed.

g) Myth/Lore/Origins
Local legend tells of a time that Bardess Dalireen herself walked the Aliarian Hills herself. Dalireen is a lesser God of the halfling race, and a Goddess honoured and revered by "hobbit folk”. Dalireen is said to have spent her time in the Aliarian Hills partaking of her favourite pasttimes - dancing, singing and telling stories from her past. Though she loved the stands of white oak and the mild summers, she found the hard ground difficult to dance upon, so she left behind strands of her light brown hair that took root in the hills and eventually covered the region. The Dogodan hobbits give tribute to Dalireen during their spring and harvest festivals by fashioning various garlands from the stems of Acorn grass that are hung on walls or doors. Another tale mentions that Dalireen actually visited the first hobbits in the area and presented them with a few strands of her hair. She instructed them to place the hair in the ground and that each strand would eventually grow and produce a carpet of plants to help them with their tasks of feeding animals and harvesting crops.


« Last Edit: 09 March 2007, 21:48:45 by Artimidor Federkiel »	Logged

Takór Salenár

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Re: Acorn Grass

« Reply #1 on: 28 February 2007, 09:09:05 »

Hello Trel!

That is an excellent beginning! Well, more than that. It could nearly go on the site as it is. I have only one „concern“. It sounds in some parts too much like a biology book. We do have such entries on the site, but try to avoid it in the future. I‘m not a native English speaker, so I could be wrong in some cases, but these are the expressions/words I would avoid. (Always think, would an educated monk or other herbalist in the 12th century express it like this? Does he know the word erosion? Or vascular tissue ? I think he would just say „..wiry stems that possess a cylindric shape where the water moves up..“ And then - do they know already that water rises in the grasses or trees like this? Do they think about it? Maybe)

predominant form of vegetation
potential height of 4 fores (where it can grow up to..)
erosion
a cylinder of vascular tissue
.....

I think you know, what I mean?

You have some very nice descriptive parts in it and I like especially the myth!


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Artimidor Federkiel

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Re: Acorn Grass

« Reply #2 on: 28 February 2007, 23:45:25 »

I have to agree with Takór, Trelstahl - this is truly an exceptional quality entry, and as such something we rarely see from first-time contributers! clap

The last time we had something so ready for being integrated after the very first post were Firewyre's entries if I remember correctly. Very well done!

A few comments:

- In the Alianan Hills entry we read:

Quote

It is the great concentration of white oaks throughout the Alianian Hills that has led it to be called "The Acornlands".

Well, you could make a connection here to the "Acorn Grass" by saying that the "Acornlands" were named after the "Acorn Grass" basically. Or that the grass was somehow named after the "Acorn", because the acorns fell into it and the hobbits collected them to decorate their homes or something. So it would be just the "Grass where the Acorns grow". At any rate it would be nice to have an explanation for that name tugged in somewhere...

Additinal note: You also mention that the seed "look like small acorns when viewed up close", so there might be another explanation. Perhaps - as it isn't always that clear where names derive from - you could mention this variety of ideas regarding that name

- At the Myth/Lore section you might mention what meaning Dalireen has for the hobbits. Not everyone might know that hobbit Goddess, so it doesn't hurt to mention in briefly.

At any rate: A really good entry for a start, Trelstahl - I'm very much looking forward to further contributions from you! thumbup


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Trelstahl

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Re: Acorn Grass

« Reply #3 on: 01 March 2007, 06:22:31 »

Thanks for the comments guys!

Takór, I've addressed your comments in soothing green, and Arti, I've made your suggestions in brilliant yellow.

Takór, I agree that some of the terms and concepts I used come from my background in botany, and were not used by herbalists in the 12th century. Sorry about that - and I'll be sure to tone it down in future submissions.

Arti, I added a little exposition on Bardess Dalireen, and I really liked your idea about connecting the Acorn Grass to the Acornlands nickname.


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Irid alMenie

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Re: Acorn Grass

« Reply #4 on: 01 March 2007, 15:21:48 »

Hey Trel!

This is a very nice first entry. Very nice indeed! I am glad you decided to join the dream

I have just one small comment after reading your plant. I'd make the usage of the plant a little longer. Are there no humans who could use this plant for something? The only reason I'd do this is that at the moment it more or less sounds like you copied it from what you've previously written.

The reproduction has the same feel to it as the usage, but I don't know anything about that, so I won't talk about that, as I have no idea what you could add


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Trelstahl

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Re: Acorn Grass

« Reply #5 on: 02 March 2007, 06:28:29 »

Thanks for the comments, Irid!

I added another couple of uses based on what I thought the plant could realistically be used for - please see my editions in orange. I also tried to spruce up the reproduction portion so it wasn't so cut-and-pasty!

Sorry about that - got a little lazy.


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Miraran Tehuriden

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Re: Acorn Grass

« Reply #6 on: 02 March 2007, 12:27:32 »

My comments are in the usual color... and no, that's not a blue..

Acorn Grass

a) Categorization
Grass

b) Basic Overview of the Plant
Acorn grass is an important plant of the Alianian Hills, where it is primarily found. Its range extends along the coast of the Adanian Sea as far as the town of Veltin, where further spread is restricted by drier, cooler climates to the north. On the Alianian Hills, thick stands of Acorn grass carpet the ground, whereas further north between Istarin and Veltin, it is only found sporadically on windswept hillsides and only reaches half its potential height of 4 fores. It grows in a thick mat that holds soil in place even on the steepest slopes, which prevents soil from being washed away by the intense winds and rains that strike the Alianian Hills during the winter months. The diminutive residents of these hills, the Dogodan halflings, use the young, green leaves as forage for livestock in the spring, and in autumn, they harvest the fibrous stems of Acorn grass to produce baskets and hats.

c) Description
The plant emerges in mid-spring, the leaves are light green in colour, and are tender and hairless. Leaves are 2 fores long and 1 nailsbreadth in width once they are fully elongated. For the first two months after emergence, Acorn grass leaves are quite sweet, which makes them very palatable to livestock. As the plant matures through the drier summer months, the leaves lose some of their sweetness and turn a deep green colour, and the plant begins to produce wiry stems that possess a tough cylinder of tissue the word 'vein' can be used here. it's sufficiently old, and a bit less complicated to picture in your mind. that runs down their length. This cylinder of tissue gives the stems good tensile strength that makes it withstand wear and renders it useful for the production of baskets and hats. The stems of the plant reach their greatest height late in the summer in the fertile soil of the Alianian Hills, standing at most 4 fores in height.

Since the plant does not grow well where large differences in winter and summer temperatures exist, Acorn grass thrives in the fertile soils of the Alianian Hills, which are situated between the Ancytharian and the Adanian Seas. These two bodies of water moderate temperatures, preventing too much flux between seasons. this on the other hand IS a fairly novel concept. i'm fairly sure the midieval people did not know about the relation between ocean temperature/currents and the overall climate of the lands. The dryness that follows the rainy season between late fall and mid-spring in this region encourages the plant to flower and eventually go dormant. The flowers are small (less than 1 grain in length), wispy, and found at the tips of the stems. Through autumn, the stems turn a golden yellow, which drastically alters the appearance of the Alianian Hills, and the flowers produce seeds. It is at this point – just as the plant begins to flower that the Dogodan hobbits will cut the Acorn grass using sharp scythes to use the stems for baskets, garlands and other items. Unlike the flowers, the seeds are quite large (3 to 4 grains in diameter), and look like small acorns when viewed up close, even turning a dark brown colour by late autumn. It is the appearance of these seeds that gives Acorn grass its name, and helps to reinforce the nickname - The Acornlands - given to the area in which it is found, though the area originally was called this due to the presence of the beautiful white oak trees.

Though the plant produces a long-lived root system, the roots can die back during the winter months. The Dogodan hobbits will purposely leave stretches of the Acorn grass unharvested each year, to allow the plant to produce seeds that will help replenish portions of the stand that are sometimes killed by early summer frosts in some years. The stems that hold the seed heads upright become brittle during the winter so they break off, which causes the entire seed head to be tossed around in the wind. As the seed heads are thrown around, the seeds fall off the plant and are spread around.

d) Territory
Found on the Southern Sarvonian continent, Acorn grass grows primarily on the Alianian Hills, though it can be found along the coast of the Adanian Sea as far as the town of Veltin. It is unable to spread further north into cooler, less temperate climates, and drier soils and higher temperatures limit its southward spread.

e) Usages
The Dogodan halflings use the young, green leaves to feed livestock in the spring, and they harvest the fibrous stems of Acorn grass in the fall to produce baskets and hats. Humans in the area also use the stems for animal bedding during the winter months if straw is in short supply. Sometimes the seeds are roasted and salted as a snack, but they must be harvested late in the fall once they fully ripe and have lost their bitterness.

f) Reproduction
The stems that hold the seed heads upright become brittle during the winter so they break off, which causes the entire seed head to be tossed around in the wind. The seed heads roll around on the ground, spreading the seeds over the soil. Seeds can be dispersed up to fifty fores from the plant that produced them, and will quickly grow the following spring. A portion of the seeds will remain dormant in the soil for several years, and suddenly sprout after a particularly cold winter. The root system allows the plant to live many years, but does not spread rapidly, so its primary method of reproduction is by seed.

g) Myth/Lore/Origins
Local legend tells of a time that Bardess Dalireen herself walked the Aliarian Hills herself. Dalireen is a lesser God of the halfling race, and a Goddess honoured and revered by "hobbit folk”. Dalireen is said to have spent her time in the Aliarian Hills partaking of her favourite pasttimes - dancing, singing and telling stories from her past. Though she loved the stands of white oak and the mild summers, she found the hard ground difficult to dance upon, so she left behind strands of her light brown hair that took root in the hills and eventually covered the region. The Dogodan hobbits give tribute to Dalireen during their spring and harvest festivals by fashioning various garlands from the stems of Acorn grass that are hung on walls or doors. Another tale mentions that Dalireen actually visited the first hobbits in the area and presented them with a few strands of her hair. She instructed them to place the hair in the ground and that each strand would eventually grow and produce a carpet of plants to help them with their tasks of feeding animals and harvesting crops.

Well done, well done! Nicely integrated into the world, written with both detail and 'feel' ( of wich the latter is much much harder than the former)... And i do hope we get to see more of these high-end entries here, the Gods know we can use a few more writers to keep up with the bestiary

Anyway, this entry will be fast to deal with at this rate, so i'll try to keep an eye on ist development. Cheers!

Mira


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Avrah Kehabhra

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Trelstahl

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Re: Acorn Grass

« Reply #7 on: 05 March 2007, 05:59:55 »

Thanks for your comments, Mira. I made the suggested changes and removed the part that tied together ocean currents with weather patterns in adjacent land areas.

Cheers!

Trel.


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Artimidor Federkiel

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Re: Acorn Grass

« Reply #8 on: 05 March 2007, 23:38:45 »

Seems everything is in order now with all the suggestions and corrections takene in . I guess we can mark this for integration then, Trelstahl! Great work indeed, I'm very much looking forward to more stuff you come up with!


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Trelstahl

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Re: Acorn Grass

« Reply #9 on: 08 March 2007, 06:00:07 »

Thanks, Artimidor!

I am working on the entry for Mertogrand now, which may take a little longer than the plant entry. Please let me know if there are any plants that are in bad need of detailing - they're fun to do!