The next update in my series, we have my Desert Ephemerals (and watercress), and a few things I have had the pleasure of experiencing, including engourging myself on watercress, and making ink from the Shaggy Mane mushroom.
I am trying to make something that will grow in particular near a volcano, but have yet to have any success. Anyone with any advice will be given a virtual cookie. Chocolate chip cookie for helpful advice. X-lax cookie otherwise.
Question for any: if I set it to grow in magma, since really that's all one can do for trying to get it near a volcano, should it grow, like when mountain is put as the habitat, at the border between the ring of stone around the magma chamber and the plant-containing biome it meets? Once I figure these out, if I do and they work, I will post them. For now, I have play tested some of the ones below, and they work.
Also a side note, I can't get the extract cheese thing to work, unfortunately. I added the token to plump helmut and made a new world to make sure any changes would take effect... but it doesn't seem to have helped.
Having made one quick growing, small plant which uses amount of daylight hours as it's signal (my mule raddish), I am left with the fact that there are a very large variety of plants known as 'desert ephemerals' and other small plants have similar ecology. These include plants adapted to survive in the desert not by weathering harsh conditions on a hardy root stock, but as a seed. When conditions are correct, their seeds germinate, and the plant springs forth. Some last only a few weeks from germination to end. Unfortunately, while I could find some information on desert ephemerals, I could not find anything in particular detailing which were edible or useful or not (well, a few I could find by searching for the plants individually). Thus for some I sort of conjectured and winged it. To mimic the fact that these plants would, in a natural setting, normally not grow but maybe once a year when it happends to rain, if that, I made them only be growable in one season. Then I am left with the decision: do I mimic desert ecology by having them all be in the same season, despite that, if grown by dwarves, they could theoretically grow them in the desert in all seasons, or do I make it so the dwarves can indeed grow them in all seasons, which leads them to be collectable in all seasons? I chose the former, so that, despite that these crops are fast growing so easy to make a massive operation of, no fortress would be able to completely rely on them year round. I decided to make that season be, for all of them, Summer: The dry season in deserts in my area (I don't know about elsewhere) are stereotypically winter through spring. Summer begins the wet season. I forget what fall is. Merchants will inevitably still bring the seeds so it can be a little bit easy to find them later on, but no real harm done. I gave each one only one use, since the ability to grow multiple use products in such short time would be unbalancing, and I made sure to avoid UberProducts.
First, there is the desert poppy. These plants are well represented among the desert ephemerals to pop up, reproduce quickly, and move on. This is the common ecology for poppies in general, as they produce many seeds which they protect until ripe, and then leave the pod to blow around in the wind dropping seeds into the sand. Contrary to what many people seem to think when they react to my like of poppy flowers, most poppies have little or no opium in them, and I am relatively sure Papaver somniferum (opium poppy. Latin species translation, "Sleep bringer" ^.^) is one of the only edible ones anyway, the rest having too few, too small, or too bad tasting or bland, seeds. This one, however, I made to be one of the seed producers, because in a desert ephemeral's ecology, the more seeds produced faster, the better, so one would expect large volumes of seed from these plants. I declare this to be one of the ones with little to no opium, because it wouldn;t have any effect in DF anyway.
[MATGLOSS_PLANT :DESERT_POPPY]
[TILE:'*'][COLOR:4:0:1]
[NAME :Desert Poppy][NAME_PLURAL :Desert Poppies]
[GROWDUR:225][VALUE:3]
[EXTRACT :Desert Poppy Seeds:6:0:1]
[EXTRACTVALUE:20]
[EXTRACT_BAG]
[EXTRACT_COOKABLE]
[SEED:0:0:1]
[GENPOWER:2]
[SUMMER]
[FREQUENCY:1]
[CLUSTERSIZE:5]
[PREFSTRING:bright flowers]
[DRY][WET]
[BIOME_ANY_DESERT]
These small plants are notably common in salty areas. Some are known to be present in deserts, as small things which pop up after rains, as described above speaking on desert ephemerals, though most species are found in generally salty maritime areas. Because of their salt loving tendency, the Atacama deset\rt. They are called scurvey grasses because they tend to have high vitamin C value in their leaves and thus are used to avoid and treat scurvey in some areas or by sailors. Because the genus is known both from deserts and maritime habitats, I added it to both saltwater places and deserts. The reason is many desert plants need to be saline tolerant (these ones are known for it), because all salts that flow in are deposited when the water dried up. We call such areas Evaporites. A large area in the Atacama Desert is known particularly for having a rather thick layer of hypersaline sand and soil because of this. Because of their halophilic tendencies, it makes me wish I could have them specifically grow near areas where 'rock salt' is found... but oh well.
[MATGLOSS_PLANT:SCURVY GRASS]
[TILE:186][COLOR:4:0:1]
[NAME:Scurvy Grass][NAME_PLURAL:Scurvy Grasses]
[GROWDUR:175][VALUE:2]
[SHRUB_COLOR:4:0:1]
[LEAVES:2]
[SEED:6:0:0]
[GENPOWER:2]
[SUMMER]
[FREQUENCY:1]
[CLUSTERSIZE:5]
[PREFSTRING:tangy flavor]
[DRY][WET]
[BIOME_DESERT_SAND]
[BIOME_MARSH_TROPICAL_SALTWATER]
[BIOME_SWAMP_TEMPERATE_SALTWATER]
[BIOME_MARSH_TEMPERATE_SALTWATER]
Another group, one member of which is ironically called Scurvey Grass Sorell, though unrelated to the above scurvey grasses, is the Oxalis plants. Many of you might be familiar with them: Shamrocks. This group is everything from the 'lemon weed' in the garden and lawns which taste good when nibbled, to the shamrocks famously kept in houses. They tend to be very fast growing, though perrenial, growing each year from their tuberous roots (anyone that tried pulling these knows they have thick roots... turns out some of them are edible. SO next time I am weeding the garden, I will tell you how it is.). Since we can't make plants perrenial, we can at least make use of the root in particular. The short ecology is similar to Mule Raddish but adapted for drier habitats.
[MATGLOSS_PLANT:OXALIS]
[TILE:5][COLOR:4:0:0]
[NAME:Rocksham root][NAME_PLURAL:Rocksham roots]
[GROWDUR:175][VALUE:4]
[EDIBLE_RAW]
[EXTRACT:Sailor's Boon Seasoning:7:0:0]
[EXTRACTVALUE:10]
[EXTRACT_BAG]
[EXTRACT_EDIBLE]
[EXTRACT_COOKABLE]
[SEED:6:0:0]
[GENPOWER:2]
[SUMMER]
[FREQUENCY:1]
[CLUSTERSIZE:5]
[PREFSTRING:Colorful Shamrocks]
[DRY][WET]
[BIOME_ANY_DESERT]
[BIOME_GRASSLAND_TEMPERATE]
[BIOME_SAVANNA_TEMPERATE]
[BIOME_SHRUBLAND_TEMPERATE]
[BIOME_GRASSLAND_TROPICAL]
[BIOME_SAVANNA_TROPICAL]
[BIOME_SHRUBLAND_TROPICAL]
Another plant known in the desert, small and quick, are the Amaranthus plants. Many of this genus stereotypically produce various green and yellow dyes that I know of. I have a short my friend died with them, it unfortunately eventually faded, but that's okay. Various species of this genus are extensively cultivated because they have high production of tasty useful seeds, and can be eaten as leaves. Thus I have gone back on my word and made amaranth a bit of an Uberplant. I balance it by making it so inexpensive that you couldn't turn a profit with it.
[MATGLOSS_PLANT:AMARANTHUS]
[TILE:157][COLOR:4:0:0]
[NAME:Armoranth][NAME_PLURAL:Armoranths]
[GROWDUR:250][VALUE:1]
[MILL:Armored Green Dye:4:0:1]
[MILL_VALUE:15]
[MILL_DYE:GREEN-YELLOW]
[EXTRACT:Armored Seeds:7:0:0]
[EXTRACTVALUE:15]
[EXTRACT_BAG]
[EXTRACT_COOKABLE]
[EDIBLE_RAW]
[EDIBLE_VERMIN]
[SEED:7:0:0]
[GENPOWER:2]
[SUMMER]
[FREQUENCY:1]
[CLUSTERSIZE:5]
[PREFSTRING:influorescences]
[DRY][WET]
[BIOME_ANY_DESERT]
[BIOME_GRASSLAND_TEMPERATE]
[BIOME_SAVANNA_TEMPERATE]
[BIOME_GRASSLAND_TROPICAL]
[BIOME_SAVANNA_TROPICAL]
While not a desert ephemeral, I will put Watercress with these plants because it's edible stage is relatively ephemeral. Watercress grows floating on the water in basic streams, and only in very fresh water such as that coming from a spring. It is best when eaten very young, and it's edible stage is so quick that it counts as one of the 'spring ephemerals' such that shortly thereafter, it no longer has the good taste and texture. I love the stuff: I know of several places where, when I go, I can engourge on these spicy leaves. Obviously they should only grow near and in freshwater rivers, but then starting without fresh water: who does that? If you want to grow it you will have to find some way to use 'river' designation tiles. I am just going to have to experiment with that one.
[MATGLOSS_PLANT:WATER_CRESS]
[TILE:5][COLOR:2:0:1]
[NAME:Water Cress][NAME_PLURAL:Water Cresses]
[GROWDUR:150][VALUE:3]
[EDIBLE_RAW]
[EDIBLE_VERMIN]
[SEED:2:0:1]
[GENPOWER:2]
[SPRING]
[FREQUENCY:1]
[CLUSTERSIZE:5]
[PREFSTRING:spicy flavour]
[DRY][WET]
[BIOME_RIVER_TEMPERATE_FRESHWATER]
End desert ephemerals...
I found a site that outlined barberries, and was impressed. Previously I had only eaten the types that live in very moist areas. While most are inedible, a veriety of them live in rocky, windy, dry, desert-like, or high mountain, terrain. All barberries seemed to be able to make a yellow dye with their root, interestingly. I decided, since I can't find out the actual color, to make it an in-demand and expensive gold color, though I also know it to be slightly on the slower growth side, and I am putting it only in... mountains.. the ever unlikely habitat ^.^ Currently, therefore, one can only get it at the edge of mountain and some other biome capable of producing shrubs for the herbalist.
[MATGLOSS_PLANT:CRAG_BARBERRY]
[TILE:229][COLOR:4:0:0]
[NAME:Crag Barberry Root][NAME_PLURAL:Crag Barberry Root]
[GROWDUR:650][VALUE:1]
[MILL:Gold Barberry Dye:4:0:1]
[MILL_VALUE:45]
[MILL_DYE:GOLD]
[SEED:4:0:1]
[GENPOWER:2]
[SPRING][SUMMER][AUTUMN][WINTER]
[FREQUENCY:5]
[CLUSTERSIZE:5]
[PREFSTRING:bright fruits]
[DRY]
[BIOME_MOUNTAIN]
[BIOME_DESERT_BADLAND]
[BIOME_DESERT_ROCK]
This mushroom is well known to me, as my friend made several attempts at making ink from it. The final attempt was sucessful (the rest got moldy). The ink is basically black, and is produced by the spore dispersal of this mushroom: The mushrooms in the genus Coprinus tend to 'dliquesce' (spelling?) meaning they tend to rot away on purpose, digesting themselves from the inside. They do this because their cap remains closed until many spores are ripe, and this is it's way of opening up long after the mushroom is otherwise mature. Thus it degrades itself from the bottom up to expose it's spores. When picked, they are edible, though only for a short time, as they quickly do this, resulting in a black staining mess. They are known for their black spore print and the fact that they make this black ink, despite the cap being a distinct and beautiful white/brown patterning. Make sure to get the color PITCH, posted below.
[MATGLOSS_PLANT:SHAGGY_MANE]
[TILE:229][COLOR:7:0:1]
[NAME:Shaggy Mane][NAME_PLURAL:Shaggy Mane]
[GROWDUR:500][VALUE:1]
[MILL:Pitch Dye:4:0:1]
[MILL_VALUE:25]
[MILL_DYE:PITCH]
[EDIBLE_WHENCOOKED]
[SEED:0:0:0][SEEDNAME:Shaggy Mane Spores]
[GENPOWER:2]
[SPRING][SUMMER][AUTUMN][WINTER]
[FREQUENCY:5]
[CLUSTERSIZE:5]
[PREFSTRING:deliquescing caps]
[DRY][WET]
[BIOME_SUBTERRANEAN_WATER]
[BIOME_GRASSLAND_TEMPERATE]
[BIOME_SAVANNA_TEMPERATE]
[BIOME_SHRUBLAND_TEMPERATE]
[BIOME_ANY_TEMPERATE_FOREST]
NOTE: FOR THE ABOVE MUSHROOM, ONE MUST ALSO PUT, IN THE COLORS LIST, THE FOLLOWING COLOR! Otherwise it's not going to work.
[COLOR:PITCH]
[NAME :pitch black]
[RGB:15:15:15]
EDITED FOR: Rocksham seeds were impossible to get with an only cookable food. Replaced with edible raw and extractable/extract cookable, as a happy medium.
[ February 12, 2008: Message edited by: Pickerel ]
Author
Topic: Its An Ecologist's World (Read 3992 times)