Rosemint

Amuwen

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Rosemint

« on: 30 December 2002, 09:36:00 »

Category: Bush/Edible Plant- Spices and Flavorings

The Rosemint is a common bush natural to the more temperate areas of Santharia. This plant comes by it's name for the minty smelling leaves and beautiful flowers it produces. Rosemint is used not only for it's very aromatic scent but also the fresh mint flavor it can bring to any food. The Rosemint is now very commonly found in many gardens throughout Santharia and is said to bring goodluck.

Appearance: The Rosemint is a medium sized bush with very small leaves and amazing pale blue flowers. The flowers of the rosemint vary from a whitish color with pale blue veins to a very decidedly bright sky blue; however, it should not be confused with the deep blue common rose which has recently been cultivated and is structurally a very different plant. The leaves of the rosemint are long, narrow and pointed at the end. The under-side of the leaves is a pale green almost white color and the top-side a very dark forest green.

The rosemint is made up very like an ordinary rosebush, with many stems and flowers. However, rosemints tend to have a much larger abundance of leaves growing from every branch and stem and are void of any thorns. It is believed by some that the rosemint has such an abundance in leaves because it is lacking in thorns. These leaves are about a nailsbreadth long and half a nailsbreadth wide, tapering out to a point. Hundreds of leaves cover every stem and branch of the rosemint.

The actual part of the rosemint's branches that connects to the flowers are thin stems branching off from much thicker stems that are connected to the rosemint's tree-like base. The thinner stems connect to the rosehips, which hold all the actual bits of the flower together. Rosehips are the round green underside of the flowers, containing the fruit and seeds of the plant.

The flowers themselves are rather complicated structures. Before the rose blooms it's outside is made up of a covering of 5 leaf-like flaps that cover up the bud. After this covering is a layer of five petals. If a rose contains any more than five petals it is called a double flower. Double flowers are not natural and have only come about just recently when purposely cultivated. Inside the petals is the male part of the flower, made up of many long yellow stalks with large round tops. When the flower is completely open, these stalks produce pollen from inside their large top pieces. The pollen is then carried over to the female part of the flower in the very center.

Territory: Rosemint bushes can be found in many places, but will only naturally be found in temperate northern areas. Many people have been able to grow them in a variety of other climatic conditions, but only with extra care can they be grown in any environment un-natural to them. Rosemints have been found growing wild throughout much of Santharia including near the Vale of Brownies and throughout many forests such as the Thaelon, Zeiphyrian and Quallian. Rosemint bushes have also been found throughout the Sharadon Forests; however, they may have been aided in growth by the Maeverhim elf tribe living there as this tribe is known for cultivating many plants that would not normally be found in the Sharadon Forests.

Usages: The leaves of the rosemint are used to make scented oils and seasonings for food. The oils can be used for perfumes and medicine. Rosemint leaves can be used on various foods such as meats, especially fish and poultry and in many breads. If the leaves are brewed, they can be used for a very minty tea that has been known to help a sore throat.

The rosehips can be used to make a delicately flavored jam or made into candies. Rosehips can also be eaten raw as a fruit.

The flower petals have been used in salads, but this use has gone out of common practice. Because the flowers themselves do smell very sweet and delicate, they are made into oils or potpourris. These oils are used in perfumes, soap and various other things.

Reproduction: Inside the petals of the flower are the male parts called stalks. The top of each stalk produces pollen, which is released when the flower is in full bloom. This pollen is then carried, either by the wind or by insects such as malise, to the female part of the flower which is also a stalk, but much larger with a round bulb at the bottom. This bulb is actually contained within the rosehips of the flower. Inside the bulb is the makings of a seed. After the pollen is transferred over to the female parts of the flower it fertilizes the bulb which then grows to become a seed. The seed can then be transferred into the ground after the flower has died and is dried by the sun. A seed can be transferred to the ground either naturally by falling from the plant onto the ground and eventually being covered over by the earth with time and weather or by being removed and planted into the earth.

Myth/Lore: Rosemint is largely thought of as a symbol for constancy and remembrance and is used at many funerals, either to be carried or put in wreaths. It is thought that rosemint was used so often at funerals for it's pungent scent, which was very helpful in hiding the smell of death. Sprigs of rosemint have been burned as a sacrifice to the goddess Queprur.

Rosemint has also been used in weddings, placed in bridal wreaths and handed out to wedding guests, so that the happy occasion could always be remembered.
Another belief is that rosemint will ward off nightmares when placed under one's pillow or bed.

Edited by: Amuwen at: 1/3/03 12:40:37 am


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Viresse

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #1 on: 30 December 2002, 13:33:00 »

Wow.
She's a quick one!
I like the idea of rosemints.
*thinks of Violet mints*
mm, yummy.

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Bard Judith

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #2 on: 30 December 2002, 16:31:00 »

I also like this plant - herbs and flavoring plants have been in short supply for a while. I've meant to get on that but am now on 'sabbatical' for a month in Korea, so.....

Anyhow: Good description and usages, but we have to kill the technical vocabulary. Basically any word that is Latinate or over three syllables

needs to be replaced by a simpler, more 'medieval' description. Make it vivid and intriguing, even if you lose some authenticity and scientific accuracy!

For example: "The quadriparate blooms emerge from an ovarian polyp" (not that you used that phrase, but anyhow) should become " Delicate four-petaled flowers emerge from a central reddish globe, which is actually a swelling at the top of the plant's stem."

See Rayne's entry on the Honeybee, or Melise, for an example of how this editing can be gracefully accomplished.

I look forward to seeing this plant emerge into Santharian cookery and herbal medicine, and to whatever other blossoms of your imagination you will share with us!


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"Give me a land of boughs in leaf / a land of trees that stand; / where trees are fallen there is grief; / I love no leafless land." --A.E. Housman

Rayne (Alýr)

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #3 on: 03 January 2003, 07:36:00 »

Hn. This is a rose plant, right? I'm just making sure for clarification. ^_^;; It has thorns and such? Or no? Perhaps it has throns out in the wild but the domesticated version has been bred to not have thorns?

You mention rosehips a few times. What are they? Are they like the fruit of the plant? What do they look like?

Maybe you can be more specific in your territory description? If you go to the places section, you can find maps of different continents. It might be nice if you can name some specific places where they are commonly found.

Also, you mention bees in reproduction. We don't have bees: we have malise. ^_~

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #4 on: 03 January 2003, 08:44:00 »

Oh! I thought we did have bees, someone mentioned them once before, but that's fine.

Amuwen

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Rayne (Alýr)

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #5 on: 03 January 2003, 08:55:00 »

Malise is the name of bees in Santharia. Mommy-Judith and I did the entry. ^_^

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Amuwen

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #6 on: 03 January 2003, 09:22:00 »

Btw, yes it is a rosebush and I have cleared up about thorns, but I have modelled this rosebush more after a rosemary bush. The leaves are rosemary leaves, but the flowers are roses. I even made the roses blue like the flowers of a rosemary plant. I've always thought that a rosemary bush ought to have roses on it, due to it's deceitful name.

Amuwen

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Rayne (Alýr)

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #7 on: 03 January 2003, 09:30:00 »

It seems like we had an entry on blue roses... but maybe I'm mistaken. There's a short story called "Legend of the Blue Rose." That's probably what I'm thinking of. ^^'

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Amuwen

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #8 on: 03 January 2003, 09:39:00 »

found it...

Quote:
The true fruits are the 'seeds' within. Flower colour varies from intense red and almost black to yellow and white; breeders have also just produced a deep blue rose.

Amuwen

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Amuwen

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #9 on: 03 January 2003, 09:43:00 »

This one isn't deep blue so I'm thinking that it ought to be able to slide by the fact that the deep blue rose was produced by breeders, because my rose plant is a natural one. My rosemint is a light blue and even white with blue in the veins.

Amuwen

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Viresse

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #10 on: 03 January 2003, 09:45:00 »

how'd it get blue?
I though of them as being this buttery fluffy whitish color...*shrugs*

*pokey de Viresse at viresse@santharia.com* - character descriptions moderator
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Rayne (Alýr)

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #11 on: 03 January 2003, 09:46:00 »

Eh. I don't know. I'd like to believe that the blue rose sprung from the grave of Saniah.

But I suppose that should work fine. Make sure the color is very specified.

You might also consider adding t the Reproduction section. Details should make that section a bit larger.

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Amuwen

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #12 on: 03 January 2003, 10:13:00 »

When I detail it I'm told it's TOO detailed.. and now when I dumb it down, it's not enough. :rolleyes

Oh well, let's see what can be done.

Amuwen

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Rayne (Alýr)

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #13 on: 03 January 2003, 10:35:00 »

We like detail here in Santharia. ^_^

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Amuwen

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Re: Rosemint

« Reply #14 on: 03 January 2003, 10:55:00 »

Btw.. I think that the rose entry ought to be re-done. It's really lacking in a lot of essential information.

Amuwen

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Rosemint