Completed In Search of Quassia

[Trevor Hightly]

Date: 16th of Summer, 517 A.V
Time: Mid-Afternoon
Continued from this and previous threads.

Trevor and Uta moved through the wilderness together; the botanist led the way for her non-expert companion. The jungle was beginning to cool--at least as much as it ever did, as the sun descended westward more and more, continuously coming ever-closer to slipping away from the sight of the residents of Syka.

"So, where are we headed?" Trevor inquired; the botanist that he was trailing behind had promised to show him how to identify quassia and where it would grow.

Uta rounded a tree. The jungle was beginning to open up, the trees becoming less and less densely packed as the pair walked along.

"Quassia doesn't like to grow if there's too much shade--it'll grow here in the jungle, it's just a little picky about where it'll do it," Uta explained.

Trevor's hand brushed the bark of a particularly short tree, as he followed and listened to the naturalist.

"So are we heading to a clearing?" Trevor asked.

"Not a clearing, really--just somewhere where the canopy of the jungle isn't as thick; just because a plant will grow in the jungle doesn't mean it will grow everywhere in it. A lot of people see trees and think of them as a group and as a singular thing, but each one of those trees is its own ecosystem; the grass and shrubs on the ground are their own thing too, and in different areas different trees, grass, and plants combine to form entirely different sub-environments," Uta replied.

Trevor listened carefully to what Uta was saying; the man was surprised at what the woman was explaining but was genuinely interested in her words. Trevor began to wonder if it was possible to reasonably identify the sub-environments that Uta was talking about and if that was how one went about searching for any particular type of plant.

Trevor took note of the many plants and roots that were strewn all about, wondering if there was--and, to a lesser extent, trying to identify--any pattern to the seemingly abject randomness that he was just missing.

Seasonal Wordcount: 340 + 9,380 = 9,720

[Trevor Hightly]

Date: 16th of Summer, 517 A.V
Time: Mid-Afternoon
Continued from this and previous threads.

"So how do you use that to find plants, or do you?" Trevor asked.

Uta stopped.

"Come here," the woman leaned down, prompting Trevor to stop behind her.

Uta had stopped beside a small, bush-like plant. The shrub only came up to about Trevor's knee and was fairly short, but was somewhat wide. Most notable of all the bush's traits was that it had fairly little foliage on it, save for a few bunches of fern-like leaves and vibrant, red flowers.

"It looks delicate," Trevor said.

Uta touched the plant's flowers.

"It does all right here," she said. "I don't think it would do very well in the cold, but that's something it doesn't have to worry about in the jungle."

As Uta spoke, Trevor couldn't help but be take a closer look at the bush that Uta and he were crouched before. The bush looked somewhat familiar--at least its bark did. And that's when the realization of just what the bush actually was dawned on Trevor.

"The bark. This is the quassia isn't it?" Trevor asked.

Uta bent one of the bush's flowers towards Trevor.

"One of the ways you can tell is by the flowers; they're red on the outside, yet a pale yellow inside," Uta said. "I really love that about this species."

The woman let go of the quassia bush's flower gently. Uta's hand then floated to softly touch the leaves of the plant.

"And the leaves are shaped like long feathers," she explained. "They're almost as soft too."

Trevor listened and did his best to memorize the general look of the quassia bush.

"Its limbs are pretty slender," Trevor noted.

"They are," Uta said. "The plant doesn't get very large at all, in any sort of way."

"Then wouldn't harvesting what little limbs it has on it kill it?" Trevor inquired.

Uta withdrew her hand from the plant's leaves and pointed at its bark.

"The bark is like the plant's skin--it can lose a little of it, it's whats inside that really matters to it," Uta explained. "You can cut strips off of the plant, or collect any limbs that it loses, without worrying about hurting it. Just don't cut into the white underneath and don't remove more than an eighth of its bark; you don't need much from quassia to make a good amount of anything out of it anyway. Unless you're using it as a spice, but even then removing so much as to kill the bush would just be something done out of greed."

Seasonal Wordcount: 422 + 9,720 = 10,142

[Trevor Hightly]

Date: 16th of Summer, 517 A.V
Time: Mid-Afternoon
Continued from this and previous threads.

"Spice? You can do that?" Trevor inquired.

Uta laughed.

"I thought you wanted to be a doctor, not a cook," the woman said.

Trevor chuckled.

"I just wanted to be someone who knew about this plant," he said in jest.

Uta seemed happy enough with Trevor's response.

"The bark is bitter; it's edible too and can be used to spice up whatever you'd want--spirits, meat. I've made a tea out of the leaves before," Uta said.

Trevor looked at the Quassia bush with a newfound respect, having discovered just how magical the seemingly mundane bush really way.

"Anything else that it can do?" he asked.

"Drinking a tea made from its bark can wash out parasites," Uta said. "Otherwise, I think I've given you the complete lesson on just what this one plant is."

Trevor took a bit of breath.

"Wow," he said. "I would have just had walked past it, never knowing, never even thinking that it might help someone so much."

"Nowhere are the world's boundless possibilities better personified than in the life that lives upon its surface; many would agree with that statement, but would--out of ignorance--think that it only applies to the living things that walk, swim, and fly," Uta commented.

"How much more is there to learn?" Trevor asked. "How many more plants are just strolled by, that are like this one?"

Uta smirked.

"I have no idea," she said. "Too many to make knowing a reachable goal, plenty enough to make it worth trying to do so."

Trevor paused at the suggestions of the naturalist's words.

"I think I want to know more," the man said.

"Do you have a knife?" Uta asked.

Trevor had no such gear on him.

"No, I don't usually carry anything like that with me," he said.

"I didn't bring any out today," Uta said. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter too much."

The woman reached for the Quassia once more, and lightly pinched a point on the bush where a new shoot had begun growing.

"I was going to say that you could start learning more by planting a cutting of this bush," Uta explained.

"A cutting?" Trevor inquired, not knowing what the woman was speaking of.

Uta indicated to where she pinched the Quassia bush.

"It's summer, the plant is growing and getting bigger. There are fresh shoots growing off of its limbs. If you cut one of these off, then you can plant it in a pot; if you're careful with it, you can nurture it until the piece that you cut and planted has grown roots, then you can transplant it into the ground," Uta said. "I was going to suggest that you start your own garden."

"I could come back out and try it," Trevor offered. "I mean, if you could show me where to cut?"

Uta considered Trevor's words for a moment.

"Just here, where the new shoot connects to the bush," she finally explained. " You can tell it's a shoot because it's greener and smaller than the rest of the bush's limbs."

Trevor scanned the Quassia bush with his eyes, noting that there were many such little shoots.

"Alright, I think I get that," Trevor said. "How exactly do I plant it, though? Won't such a small branch just fall over?"

Uta let go of the bush.

"You'll need to get a small twig or stick and bury it beside the shoot," she said. "Trim the leaves off of the bottom of the shoot that you cut from the bush and then bury it about halfway into whatever pot that you can get, then tie the shoot to the stick or twig with some string. If you're careful about watching the weather, make sure the shoot gets sun, air, and water often, then it should be ready to plant in a month or two."

"That's actually amazing and really interesting," Trevor replied. "Thank you."

"Does that work with all plants?" he inquired.

"Well, no, but it does with most bushes and flowers," Uta said.

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