The Halak-Sun Blood Bloom bush can vary from one fore to almost two peds in height, depending on age of the bush, distance from the shoreline, and whether or not it grows in a sheltered area. The bush tends to be very thick, with a multitude of dark sognastheen leaves, and the outside of the bush is dotted with large flowers every couple of spans across the surface. Its scent is very lovely, and can be smelled at fair distances on the soft breezes of its homeland. The blooms can be distilled down to a very rare, and very expensive, fragrant perfume.

Picture description. View on one of the large and magnificent blooms of a Halak-Sun Blood Bloom bush. Image drawn by Hylphán.

Appearance. The main "trunk" of the Halak-Sun Blood Bloom can produce an abundance of smaller branches, each with many leaves. Leaves are on average four to six nailsbreadth in length, and two to three nailsbreadth wide. They are not flat, but a wide "v" shape from side to side, allowing the leaf to catch and hold water longer than a flat leaf. This allows the rain to collect somewhat before running off either end, enabling the water to dissolve salt deposits left on the leaves by salt spray from the ocean.

Blooms, or flowers, vary in size by the size of the bush, and can grow to reach almost a span across the five large petals. The distinguishing feature of the flowers is the colouration: a blood red center that fades out into Korwyn gold, continuing through injohue, to styruine, making very beautiful yellow petals, each overlapping the one to its left. The stigma and stamen protrude on a single stem, at least three to four nailsbreadth out of the center of the Blood Bloom, making it easy for its primary pollinator, the barking kecko, to become covered with its Aeruillin red pollen. This stem's colouration matches the petals - blood red at the center of the flower and fading into bright styruine towards the stigma and stamen.

Territory. The only place this plant can be found is on several of the larger islands in the Scattersand Shoals, located south-west of Cape Strata, the southernmost tip of the Sarvonian continent. This plant requires plenty of sun, and a warm humid climate to survive. Several attempts have been made to transplant it to Southern Sarvonia, but without success. Even in its native habitat, it is very difficult to get the plant to grow after transplanting it, as farmers are discovering.

Usages. The Halak-Sun Blood Bloom would make a beautiful ornamental bush for around the house - if you could transplant it! Its flowers are used to distill a very fragrant perfume, which is very rare and expensive. Each small vial of perfume requires an extraordinary number of blossoms to make. Because of this, the perfume continues to be a very limited commodity.

Reproduction. The reproduction cycle of this flower depends on two different factors. First, there must be enough rain in the area for the needle midge, a small, almost invisible biting insect, to breed in sufficient numbers. This provides an abundant, and favourite, food source for the small barking kecko lizard, only two nailbreadths in length. Second, if the midge population is increased, then the Kecko population will increase to match, and provide enough pollinators to ensure a good crop of seeds.

The Needle Midge is attracted by the sweet smell of the bloom. When it lands on the center stem, among the pollen bearing stamen, they are held fast by a sticky substance coating the stem. The barking kecko then crawls around amongst the stamen, eating the midges. The sticky sap on the stem is not strong enough to bother the lizard as it feeds.

As the lizard brushes up against the stamen, the pollen sticks to the skin of the kecko, and is carried to the carpel to fertilize the plant. After fertilization, the bloom dries up and falls away one piece at a time. The center stem is the last to drop, splitting open as it dries to reveal the fertilized seeds within.

9th Rising Sun 1667 a.S. Information provided by Hylphán