Lung Root
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Name: Lung RootQuick Facts: If consumed at the proper ripeness it allows air breathers to breathe water at a cost.
Height: Above ground 2-3 feet of foliage. Grows anywhere from 4 to 5 feet deep in swamp soil
Width: the Tubers are generally about 2 to 3 inches around
Length: Anywhere from 4 to 5 inches in length full grown
Fruit: Tuber's in the roots, a red similar in color to beats though they are decidedly "fleshy" when eaten. Insides are similar to grapefruit.
Poison: overdoses of the fruit or concentrated extract will cause oxygen poisoning
Meta-Location Found: It is found in Maiden's Refuge generally in the north and often in the more difficult to reach locations therein
Appearance: To the untrained eye it looks almost like a tree trunk left rotting in the swamp. However this is in fact the main stem of the plant often growing wider than it is tall. What sets it apart from a rotting trunk are the red "hairs" that grow out of it in tufts from the top. In place of standard photosynthesis these hairs are in fact the respiratory system of the Lung Root pulling oxygen out of the air around them to feed the plant. They are rubbery to the touch and are in fact translucent only appearing red due to the sap contained within them.
The fruits grown deep beneath the trunk connected loosely to it by long but durable root systems that transport oxygen to the roots while in turn bringing absorbed nutrients back to the top of the plant to further grow it. The plant has no natural lifespan growing until it is either harvested or otherwise destroyed.
During dry seasons it withers and goes dormant until the soil it grows in is again saturated with water reviving the plant. When it is in the state is is nearly impossible to tell it apart from a dead tree trunk as the hairs fall off and the roots are far below ground.
Habitat: Swamps and other environments where the soil is heavily saturated with water
Lifespan and Development: From germination it takes this plant about two years to reach full size after which it stops growing and begins seeding. It seeds in the dry season by allowing its red fibrous hairs dry out and break off. They will then drift on wind and only leave domanrcy once fully submerged in water for a week.
Uses: Allows those that consume it's roots to temporarily breath underwater by allowing enhanced absorption of oxygen, even through liquids
Temperament: if it could talk it would likely be moody
Abilities: Water Breathing, a single serving gives about an hour of water breathing though alchemists might be able to find a way to increase the length, can kill you via oxygen poisoning which causes a plethora of symptoms Such as oxidative damage to cell membranes, collapse of the alveoli in the lungs, retinal detachment, and seizures. In short, air is good for you, but when you eat Lung Root, you suddenly get so good at breathing that if you aren't careful or do it for too long, especially under water. you'll kill yourself, by breathing. So... don't!
Medicine/Alchemy: Drying Lung Root and mixing it in with any herb or drug that is smoked will result in the lungs being able to better absorb the smoke, increasing the effects of the herb or drug. This method does not allow for water breathing, though theory suggests further experimentation could lead to treatments or cures for lung diseases.
Credit: Brother
