The BotBS Plants Index

[Darnok]

Name: Poppy

 

IC background: Not an overly popular plant in the bigger nations, the poppy is still grown in many Sea Rat settlements. Its seeds are the basis for different drugs - all illegal of course.

 

OOC background: Poppies were first cultivivated in Mesopotamia (roughly 4000-3000 BCE). Its seeds contain certain opiates that can relieve pain - and are the basis for certain drugs, opium and cocaine being the most prominent. Due to this, since the early 1900's the cultivation of poppies is highly regulated in most parts of the world.

The Wikipedia article is pretty short, but features some paragraphs about the symbolism and history of poppies.

 

Builds in BotBS:

• Poppy Plantation in Mesabi Landing (Mesabi)
• "In Flanders Fields", Poppy Port (Professor Thaum)
• "Tortugas mixed herbs", Tortuga (Professor Thaum)
• "Poppies everywhere", Charlatan Bay (Professor Thaum)

[Darnok]

Name: Orange (Citrus x sinensis)

 

IC background: Oranges are a popular fruit in the Brick Seas, and grown all over Terra Nova thanks to the tropical climate. All great nations have a considerable orange industry, their colonies providing a constant stream of this still exotic fruit for their homelands. In some cases the rich show off their wealth by building ornate orangeries, like in Brickwall Memorial Park in Fuerte Unido.

 

OOC background: Originating from China, were it was created as a hybrid of pomelo and mandarin (earliest mention in literature as per Wikipedia: 314 BC). Also called sweet orange, to not be confused with the bitter orange. Orange trees are widely grown in tropical and subtropical climates for their sweet fruit, and make up about 70% of the worldwide production of citrus today.

As always, the Wikipedia article is a useful source, I can recommend the part about its history.

 

Builds in BotBS:

• Orangery, part of Brickwall Memorial Park, Fuerte Unido (Elostirion)
• Orange Plantation, unknown location (Dzoni90)

Edited August 25, 2019 by Darnok

[Darnok]

Name: Coffee (Coffea)

IC background: The exact origin of coffee is unknown, but these days it is usually associated with the Mokolei Empire. The shrub growing the coffee bean is native to the southern regions of the Mokolei Empire, and thus almost all coffee is imported from there. The bitter drink made from these peculiar beans, while not unknown on the Madrice Peninsula, is not common either. Mostly a drink of the upper class due to its high price, it might see further spread in the colonies if the coffee plant could be grown locally...

 

OOC background: The coffea plant is mostly known for its beans, which are the origin of the drink coffee. Coffee is darkly colored, bitter, slightly acidic and has a stimulating effect in humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is one of the most popular drinks in the world,and it can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways (e.g., espresso, French press, caffè latte). It is usually served hot, although iced coffee is a popular alternative. Its origins shrouded in legends, the coffea plant is native to tropical Africa, with the first credible historical evidence of coffee as a drink coming from the middle of the 15th century in Arabia. According to Wikipedia, by 1600 coffe had spread over northern Africa, the Middle East and up to Italy, and then to the rest of Europe, Indonesia and the Americas. I suggest the article about coffea for the plants biology, including cultivation and use, and highly recommend the one about the history of coffee (both on Wikipedia).

 

Builds in BotBS:

• ETTC - The Sacred Bean: Prelude (Ayrlego)
• ETTC - The Sacred Bean, Part 1: Beginnings (Ayrlego)
• WTC Coffee Plantation, Quinnsville (Darnok)
• How To Build: A Coffee Bush (Darnok)

 

Using IC background elements originally written by Ayrlego.