Trees

This section contains information on the trees of Britannia, bear in mind that some of the pages contain herbal information on trees as they do not fit adequately into the herbal section. Most of the illustrationshere are arranged in the order - Spring, Summer, Autum, Winter - except where the tree does not actually have a winter foliage (such as the Yew) in which case the alternative illustration is its "dead" appearance as it occurs in Felucca.
Oddities are not shown here - by oddities, I mean occurrences of trees such as those in "Spider wood" of Ilshenar, that may have Oak trunks, but bear Walnut foliage!

Apple
Pyrus malus

Apples are a highly nutritious food, containing easily digested fruit sugars, vitamins and minerals. Herbally they aid digestion. They even clean the teeth. And they make that splendid drink, cider.
Apples are used in many love spells. Eat an apple whole, saving just the pips. An odd number foretells a marriage, an even number means that none is imminent.
Stuck with cloves, an apple is a highly fragrant room-freshener.

The cultivated apple makes a good herb tea for fevers; wash, peel and boil gently until soft, strain and add some honey or brown sugar. Baked apples can be used as a poultice for sore throats, fevers and inflammations. Stewed apples clean the bowels and combat candida if left out overnight. Apples can be used to neutralise toxins in the blood, benefit the gums and reduce cavities in the teeth by clearing away plaque deposits. Dried apple peel can also be made into a tea which eases rheumatic conditions. Apple peel eaten in small amounts can ease heartburn.

Bare Trees

There are several species of tree that appear bare, in both Felucca and Trammel, regardless of the season. I believe that many may be long-dead oaks, or walnut.

Cedar
Thuja plicata & occidentalis

This is one of many trees found in various parts of the world which have been called 'cedar' because they bear fragrant foliage or have scented wood, like the Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani.

The evergreen foliage of the cedar is fern-like, with the small leaves clasping the twigs, hiding both twig and buds completely. The leaves are 'solid' to the touch, and you may feel the hidden buds below them; they tend to be yellowish green, and when they fall reveal rust-red twigs. When crushed, the foliage has a rather rank, strong odour.

These trees are more common in the colder climes of the lost lands, and some of the high altitude areas of Ilshenar.

Thuja - a tree related to the cedar, contains volatile oils that tones the bronchial passages and herbalists may prescribe it for bronchitis and catarrh (this explains the refreshing smell of the cedar forest). Externally thuja is said to cure warts.

Coconut Palm
Cocos nucifera

A very tall tree, is the coconut palm, topped with a bushy, fern like assembly of leaves. The most notable feature, other than its very straight, ridged trunk, is that of the coconuts. Coconuts are large nuts, often hollow, that are surrounded by a fibrous material. This material is often pounded to make fibres that can be woven or matted for construction purposes. The milk of the coconut can be drunk, and the flesh from the inside of the kernel can be eaten.

Swamp Cypress
Taxodium distuchum

The cypress can be recognised by its fern-like foliage, similar to that of the cedar. In spring you may find its bright pink male flowers, which look like buds, at the twig tips. In April they scatter golden, wind-borne pollen. The little female flowers are also bud-like structures, consisting of bluish-green scales set in an open formation. After pollination they ripen by October to small round, pale, greyish-brown cones. The cypress can be distinguished from the cedar by the thin feel of its foliage fronds. These have a more resinous smell, and the cypress twigs show no colour. On a typical cypress, the leading shoot droops gracefully downwards. This cypress is one of the only deciduous species in Britannia, whilst most other species are coniferous. It usually grows and swamps, and has "knees" which grow in order to aerate the roots, which are constantly underwater.

Date Palm
Phoenix dactylifera

The date palm, has flat, fern like foliage, and bears soft, plum-like fruit, that is often stoned and dried, and makes a nourishing food. Dates can be eaten on their own, or baked into cakes once the long "stone" has been removed from them.

Oak
Quercus robur

Pendunculate oak is the commoner of two species that are widespread throughout most of Britannia. It is distinguished by having its female flowers, and the acorns that develop from them, set on long stalks or "penduncles". Its leaves, by contrast, are short stalked or stalkless. They also bear lobes, called auricles, on either side at their base. The second species called sessile oak, has stalkless acorns and long stalked leaves, lacking basal lobes.

A common feature of all the oaks is the grouping of buds towards the tip of each twig; this makes them easy to recognize both in summer and winter. This bud pattern gives rise to bunched leaves and also causes the rugged arrangement of the oaks branches. Scattered solitary buds also appear along the twigs, farther down.

In folklore, touching and afflicted part of the body with a nail, and then driving the nail into an oak was considered a cure for illness. The leaves were once applied to cuts. Today however, herbalists use only the bark. Its powerful astringency is helpful for acute diarrhoea, while its antiseptic action is useful for treating throat infections. Edible acorns were commonly roasted and ground to make coffee.

O'Hii

The O'Hii has a rather tropical sounding name, and bears a similar resemblance to that of the Osier willow. It has broad, flat leaves, almost like those of the elephant ear plant. I have seldom seen them in flower, but if they should - I would imagine them to look somewhat like the Lilac tree.

Peach
Prunus persica

A fruit tree of the rose family (Rosaceae), grown throughout the warmer temperate regions of both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, the peach tree is small to medium-sized. The tree seldom reaches 6.5 m (21 feet) in height. Under cultivation, however, it is usually kept between 3 and 4 m (10 and 13 feet) by pruning. Leaves are glossy green, lance-shaped, and long pointed.
Peaches normally contain a large stone (not a rock!) and are delicious and juicy, often eaten as is, or made into desserts of many kinds. One of the most widely baked dishes being peach cobbler.

Pear
Pyrus communis

Any of several species of the genus Pyrus, especially Pyrus communis, of the rose family (Rosaceae), which is one of the most important fruit trees of the world and is cultivated in all temperate-zone areas of both hemispheres.
The pear tree is broad-headed and up to 13 m (43 feet) high at maturity; it is taller and more upright than the apple tree. Pears are often eaten "as is" but make a delicious addition to pies, cakes and other desserts.

Tropical

Cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) - There are several varieties of tropical tree in Britannia, many resemble mangroves, and others - very tall palms. The most similar tree I have come across them is the Cabbage tree, a palm like tree, with a slender trunk, terminating in a clustering of small palm-like bunches of foliage.

Tuscany Pine

The tuscany pine is believed to be a hybrid species of cypress and juniper, for the trees are often shorter and more compact than the usual inland cypress species. They are usually planted as decorative trees and to screen off areas that require seclusion. A fine example of the planting can be seen at the major inn of Papua.

When chewed, the resinous gum of the pine will sooth a sore throat. A pine needle decoction may also be added to the bath to stimulate the skin, strengthen the blood vessels and help kidney and bladder problems.

Unnamed Trees

The citizens of Britannia seem to have neglected these three species of tree from naming! I have seen so many of them too! They must have named them in the past, but long forgotten their meanings or somesuch. These trees all have a similar appearance, though some seem to look like Aspen, or other poplars, whilst many appear to look like Ash, other slender variants appear similar to Birch.

Walnut
Juglans regia (royal)

The walnut is a versatile tree, its wood is often used for furniture, and is rather hard. Walnut is often more widely known for its delicious fruit, the walnut. The walnut's nut grows in a small fruit, somewhat similar to a peach, though the fleshy layer is only thin, and drops away to reveal a shrivelled looking nut. The nut is often cracked open to reveal a nodular kernel, that is a rather tasty and usually used in baking.

Willow
Salix alba

Willows are usually found near water. White willow is a tall straggly tree that can grow up to 60 ft. tall. It has striking dense silvery gray foliage. Willow is a very flowing tree. When growing beside a river the supple branches bend down into the water like a maiden trailing her hair in the flow. When the wind blows, the trees foliage moves like wind blowing across the surface of water. When in full leaf the tree itself is like a cascade of water, each of its leaves reflecting the light like Walter trucking from the edge of a waterfall. Most willows in britannia appear to be the "Osier Willow" (Salix viminalis) which usually consists of a trunk that is split at ground level.

Willow bark has often been used to reduce pain and inflammation. The three also has a reputation in folk medicine for reducing the temperature in fevers. Willow bark also contains astringent tannins and has been used medicinally for heartburn. According to folklore, witches use willow to treat rheumatism and fever, and the old word for witches , "wicca", may be the origin of the term wicker, applied to baskets woven from willow twigs. Wearing a sprig of willow in your hat signified rejection by a loved one.

A decoction of the leaves or bark, simmered lightly, can be used to treat dandruff, whilst a poutice for ulcers can be made by simmering powdered bark in cream.

Yew
Taxus baccata

The yew. is an evergreen and can live for thousands of years. This longevity is possible because the tree regenerates its trunk from branches which root in the ground. In this way the tree will continue to increase its girth as it outlives civilizations.

The seeds and leaves off the tree contain a deadly poison and it is said that on a whole summer's day the air around the tree is so thick with the trees essence that its induces a death-like sleep. Yew has another the deadly characteristic. It is the wood that to the longbow was made from.

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