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| Needle tree: This is an evergreen tree, indigenous to Thentis and the northern forests. Its oil can be used to make perfume. Palm Trees: There are more than 1500 varieties and types of palm trees in the rainforests though onlky a few are specifically mentioned in the books. Some palm trees have leaves that are twenty feet long. One type of plam tree mentioned in the books is the fan palm. This palm grows in the rainforests of Gor and like the liana vine, can be a source of water. The fan palm is commonly over twenty feet high and its leaves are spread open like a fan. Rain water falls into the fan and is collected at the bottom. It can hold up to a liter of water. Date palms are another type mentioned in the books. Date palms can grow to be over one hundred feet tall. It takes a date palm about ten years before it first bears any dates. But, after that time, the palm will bear fruit for the next one hundred years. Each year, a date palm will provide about forty to two hundred pounds of dates. There is a palm wine on Gor, an export of city of Schendi, but no description was ever given of this wine so its color, flavor and such are unknown. Pod tree: This is a tree indigenous to the rainforests and its inner bark can be used to make a bark cloth. Ram-berries: These berries are like a tiny plum. They are small, reddish berries with edible seeds. Rence: The rence plant is a tall, leafy plant indigenous to the Delta region though it can be found in a few other marsh areas on Gor. Rence plants have a long root, about four inches thick, that rests underwater and extends out horizontally from the stalk. A number of smaller roots descend from this main root into the muddy soil of the Delta. Above the water, a number of long stems raise up into the air. There may be as many as a dozen stems and they may extend up to sixteen feet into the air. It will also commonly have a lone floral spike extending amidst the stems. The Caste of Rencers live within the Delta region and their primary business is the growth, cultivation and use of the rence plant. Rence has many uses though its primary use is to make a form of paper. Scroll #31, The Caste of Rencers , has more information on rence. Rep plant: This is a small, reddish woody bush. The seed pods of this bush contain a whitish, fibrous matter that can be used to make cloth. Rep is commercially grown in several areas, especially below Ar and above the equator. Rep cloth is cheap, strong and dyes well. It is a common fabric for slave livery and many Low Castes. Sa-Tarna: This is a tall, yellow grain that is the staple crop of Gor. Sa-Tarna bread is a major product of this grain. Sa-Tarna grain also makes Pagar-Sa-Tarna, paga for short, a fermented brew that may be the most popular alcoholic drink on Gor. There is a hybrid variety of Sa-Tarna that is brownish and grown in the Tahari regions as it has been adapted for the heat of the desert. Sim plant: This is a rambling, vine-like plant with huge, rolling leaves that is cultivated in the pasture chambers of the Nest of the Priest-Kings within the Sardar Mountains. Sip root: This is a very bitter root that can have a contraceptive effect. In some areas, such as the Barrens, sip root is chewed raw and it will act as a contraceptive for about three to four months. It is also used in the cities as an ingredient in slave wine. Slave wine currently acts as an indefinite contraceptive, countered only by the use of a special releasor. Sul: This is a tuberous root vegetable like a potato. It is commonly large, thick-skinned, starchy, and yellow-fleshed. It is a Gorean staple and can be served in a myriad of different ways. Peasants also make an alcoholic drink out of suls called sul paga. It is similar to a very potent moonshine. Ta grapes: These grapes may have originated on the island of Cos though they are now grown in many areas. They can be as big as a tiny plum and are often peeled by slaves before served. A famous wine is made from these grapes and Cos is supposed to have the finest quality Ta wine. Different cities have their own varieties of Ta wine, but none better than Cos. The color of this wine was never stated in the books. Talender: This is a delicate, yellow petaled flower. The talendar is often associated with love and beauty. Free women may wear talendars at the feast celebration of her Free Companionship or maidens may weave them into garlands to wear. Slaves may also wear talendars though free women strongly object to it. If a slave girl affixes a talendar into her hair, this is a silent signal to her Master that she wishes to be raped. A slave girl may also fix talendars in her hair if she has finally submitted to her Master but fears telling him of that fact. The talendars will be a silent signal of her surrender. Telekint: This is a plant, common in the Tahari region, and its roots can be used to create a red dye. You simply mash the roots and mix them with water. Tem-wood: This is a tree that produces a very strong and supple black wood. This wood is often used in important construction work. Teriotrope: This is a colorful and fragrant flower. Its exact description is not given in the books. Tes: This is a type of shrubbery that exists in the Vosk delta and possibly elsewhere as well. Its exact description is not given in the books. Teslik: This is a plant whose extract is the active ingredient in breeding wine, the releasor for slave wine. Tobacco: Tobacco is basically unknown on Gor. In the Sardar though, one person did grow some tobacco, imported from Earth. This is an extreme exception and tobacco does not exist anywhere outside the Sardar. Tor Shrub: This shrub, found in the Vosk delta and elsewhere, is known by various different names. This name translates as "bright shrub" or "shrub of light." This shrub has abundant bright flowers, either yellow or white. It blooms in the fall season and does not grow higher than a man's waist. Tospit: This is a yellowish-white peachlike fruit, about the size of a plum. It comes in either a short or long-stemmed variety. The short stem is the more common variety and usually has an odd number of seeds. The rare, long-stemmed variety though does not. The tospit is a fairly hard-fleshed fruit and are very bitter but are often used sliced with honey, in syrups, or for their juices as a flavoring. They are good to protect seamen against disease and thus are sometimes called seamen's larma. It is easy to dry and store aboard a ship. The long-stemmed variety are not available until late in the summer. Tur tree: This tree is a lofty, reddish tree that may grow to two hundred feet or more. It is similar to the redwoods of Earth. It is very common in the northern forests of Gor. The city of Turia derived its name from these trees. Legend states that a Tur tree was found on the southern plains near a spring. No one knows who wanted the tree there or why. A city then grew in that area and would become known as Turia. Turl bush: This bush is used by the Red Savages of the Barrens to waterproof hides. Tur-pah: This is a vinelike, tree parasite that lives on Tur trees. Its leaves, scarlet and ovate, are edible and are a main ingredient in sullage, a type of soup. Vangis: This is an unknown type of fruit or vegetable. They are mentioned though never described in the novels. Vegetables: There is a wide variety of vegetables grown on Gor. They include many types similar to Earth vegetables such as beans, cabbages, carrots, corn, onions, peas, peppers, pumpkins, radishes, squash, and turnips. There are also vegetables indigenous to Gor such as katch, korts, and suls. Veminium: There are a couple different varieties of this flower. Generally, it refers to a blue wildflower commonly found in the lower ranges of Thentis Mountains. It can be used in the making of perfumes. There is also Desert Veminium which is a small purplish flower that grows on the edges of the Tahari region. It too can be used to create perfume. Both flowers can be boiled in water and the vapors can be condensed into an oil. In the Tahari, that oil is used to perfume water and such water is then used to wash one's eating hand before and after dinner. Verr grass: This is a common type of brownish grass on Gor likely named as such because verr enjoy grazing on it. |
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