Engineering core
Character
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Name: Caligo
- Origins: Arsenae
- Other Locations: Thalia
- Classification: Shrub
- Average Growth Cycle: Caligo plants start out as a small seed, roughly twelve millimeters in diameter. A fast growing shrub that will reach its full two meter height within three years, but leaves can be harvested within its first year. These plants get small white flowers, around 2.5 cm across, that eventually produce roughly a dozen seeds. An adult Caligo plant can live upwards of sixty standard years.
- Viability: Caligo plants thrive in warm humid climates that have well drained soil. These plants are mainly found on the loamy mountain sides of the Tarrin mountain range, thriving only in sections close to the equator. They do well in direct and partial sunlight, as long as their roots can stay moist. Dry hot climates can cause the plant to lose its stored water in a hurry. Freshly picked leaves from the Caligo can stay fresh for a few hours before the leaves start to curl and wilt, which is why processing takes place relatively quickly after harvesting.
- Description: The Caligo is a tall shrub, reaching roughly two meters in height. With light to dark green leaves, ranging ten to fifteen cms long and two cms wide. The branches and trunk are dark brown in color. During the spring months the Caligo blooms with dozens of small white flowers that are 2.5 cms across.
- Average Height: 2 meters
- Average Length: N/A
- Color: Light to dark greens, dark brown and white flowers.
- Nutritional Value: Little to no nutritional value.
- Toxicity: None toxic, but may cause stomachs aches if leaves and bark are eaten.
- Other Effects: The Caligo plant is known for having small amounts of caffeine. The plant also has a secondary metabolite that acts as a pesticide, paralyzing some insects while leaving a foul taste in the mouths of others.
- Distinctions: The Caligo plant is most widely known on Arsenae as a tea plant. Leaves from this rapid growing shrub are processed in multiple different ways in order to get a verity of teas. The tea from these plants contains small doses of caffeine. The plant itself creates a salve in the lower portions of the stem and trunk that can be used as a salve for relieving sore muscles.
- Easy to maintain: When placed in the right conditions, such as warm humid areas with moist soil, the Caligo can almost take care of itself. Along with its natural pesticide, the plant makes for an easy crop to grow.
- Stress relief drink: Tea made from the Caligo can help relieve stress.
- No fan of dry areas: The Caligo likes its soil moist and its air humid. Being in warm dry areas can suck the moisture right out of the plant and kill it.
- Short shelf life: Freshly picked Caligo leaves will only last about a day before they start to wilt and curl. Sealing them in airtight containers will only buy a few more days. Which is why Caligo plants are processed close to the fields in which they're harvested.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The exact date for the discovery of the Caligo plant and its tea making properties are unknown, but many believe it stretches back thousands of years. The first Arsenians to use the Caligo plant were nomads who roamed the equatorial regions of the Tarrin mountain range, before they settled the mountain slopes to cultivate the plant. The Caligo became an expensive trade commodity for thousands of years. This was due to the fact that it was only able to grow in tropical and subtropical areas, which was a very small range in the Tarrin mountains close to the equator. This made the Caligo worth its weight in silver.
When the Arsenians began to venture out into the galaxy, they began to colonize other planets. One such planet was Thalia, a large planet with a mostly tropical and subtropical climate. This was perfect for the Caligo planet. Because of this, Thalia replaced Arsenae as the leading producer of Caligo leaves.
