R A ' K A T H A
B O J O ' U O M O
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a tree to further flesh out Ra'Katha
- Image Credit: x
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: N/A
- Name: Bojo'uomo Shaja | Bojo'uomo Tree
- Origins: Ra'Katha
- Other Locations: N/A
- Classification: Tree
- Average Growth Cycle: The average Bojo'uomo tree takes only a decade to reach full maturity, which from then it can slowly continue to grow over centuries if it continues to exist in a viable environment.
- Viability: The two most important factors to sustaining a Bojo'uomo tree are sunlight and atmospheric humidity. The needles of the Bojo'uomo tree have evolved to harvest moisture from atmospheric humidity, which ends up being the tree's main source of water. Bojo'uomo trees also need a good deal of room, because their roots naturally grow out in a large space around them -- another feature developed through evolution to sustain life in such an arid biome.
- Description: The Bojo'uomo tree is the most common tree that can be found on Ra'Katha. Only outcompeted by the Shajamai Tree for the largest shrubbery on the desert planet, the evergreen tree has evolved over many millennia to adapt to the desert environment of Ra'Katha. Most particularly, it is optimized for water production; its needles are able to harvest atmospheric moisture, and its roots extend in a complex network that can run up to a kilometer underground in an effort to draw as much water as it can from the soil. The tree has also evolved with sharp needles to ward of herbivorous animals.
In Ra'Kathan culture, the main use for the Bojo'uomo tree is harvesting its trunk, branches, and roots for wood. The upper body of the tree only provides a modest amount of wood and is named Bojo'uomo Kashanae'm, or Bojo'uomo Softwood in basic, for its elegant texture and rather soft density. Bojo'uomo softwood is used for furniture decoration and is generally considered as high value. It's roots, on the other hand, produce Bojo'uomo Kasha'alsaeb, or Bojo'uomo Hardwood in basic. With a complicated root network that can extend for kilometers in radius, harvesting the roots of a Bojo'uomo tree is a drawn-out procedure but returns a high quantity of wood. Hardwood is used more common furniture and other traditional wood usages, including Ra'Kathan weapons and Wan'anteen armor, due to the fact that its density and resistivity are comparable to some metals.
Altogether, the Bojo'uomo tree is a plant that is vital to the livelihood and cultures of Ra'Katha.
- Average Height: 3.8 meters
- Average Length:
- Canopy: 6.3 meters
- Trunk: 0.85 meters
- Roots: 1.6 kilometers
- Color:
- Needles: Green
- Trunk and Branches: Light Brown
- Roots: Dark Brown
- Nutritional Value: The pine needles of the Bojo'uomo Tree may be edible for herbivorous animals.
- Toxicity: N/A
- Other Effects: N/A
- Distinctions: The largest factor of distinction, besides the fact that it is the only tree of its kind that grows to such a size on Ra'Katha, is the extensive root network of the tree, which is unrivaled among Ra'Kathan flora. Samples of wood and pine needles can also be used to distinguish the tree from other species.
- Wood production: The Bojo'uomo tree provides a vital source of wood for various Ra'Kathan cultures and civilizations.
- Desert viability: Due to a number of features that have evolved into the tree over many millennia, the Bojo'uomo tree has adapted to surviving in desert life.
- No Nutrition: For human and near-human species, the Bojo'uomo Tree provides no nutrition and is not edible.
- Large Space: To truly grow and thrive, the tree needs ample space for its roots to extend through the underground.
The Bojo'uomo tree has long been in use by the various cultures that live on Ra'Katha's sandy surface. First discovered and utilized by the Wan'anteen, they used the hardwood of the Bojo'uomo to create dwellings, armor, firewood, and in early periods, even weapons. A single Bojo'uomo tree took a full tribe to completely harvest, and subsequently, that tree could sustain the entire tribe for up to a year. Because of this, the harvesting of the Bojo'uomo tree was a significant event and was often celebrated with a hunt and feast, possibly in collaboration with other tribes during more peaceful times.
The Dejoka'ar being much more industrious consumed the trees at a higher rate, but also planted and cultivated the tree in order to have sustainable wood production. The Bojo'uomo tree was similarly the primary source of wood for the Dejoka'ar, and was used for construction, furniture, and early armor and weapons. Due to its comparative rarity, Bojo'uomo softwood is considered to be of higher worth and can be most commonly seen in upper-class furnishings and jewelry. Ultimately, the Bojo'uomo tree is extremely important, if not outright vital, to both Ra'Kathan cultures.
