Ghyll:Zhur Fruit

Zhur shrubs usually stop growing at about 1/2 a unanit high and bear small orange Zhur Fruit that are quite delicious but rot exactly one day after removal. It is one of the major members of the That-Looks-Delicious family. Originally native to the Xurient, they are now cultivated here, and actually do quite well in the more humid regions of Ghyll. There is one known variant, a hybrid between the shrubs and Pziqq trees, that grows about half as tall and has blue fruit. The fruits are not quite as flavorful, but ship exceptionally well.

Life cycle

The shrubs are known for their peculiar life histories. One of the most unusual tendencies is the fact that they reproduce by growth, that is: they grow to a set limit, then the tops fall off and end up somewhere else, usually blown by the wind. The heads eventually put down roots, usually at whatever obstacle stopped their flight. This is why there are so many of them at the feet of the Sarfelogian Mountains under the Keglacian-built roads, which are natural traps for them. Their fruit has no known purpose. They do not die unless they are starved or burned, and their fruit appears at completely random intervals.

Uses

Because the fruit does not last more than one day after being picked, they have no major economic importance. The fruits are more popular than fefferberries for their flavor, but because of the quick-rotting problem, there is no mass marketed beverage. They grow well, and are often found in yards of larger towns, and in the centers of some villages, to be plucked for parties. King Harandraff was rumored to have created a wine from half-rotten fruit; this scholar was unable to find any other instance of this in research.

It should also be noted of their decorative principles: if cut into specific shapes after they have sprouted, they tend to stay in said given shape, making greenery statues common. Little is known of these "artists", except that they have claimed to use hungfold frameworks to support them, though this is likely a lie.

Citations: Hungfold, Pziqq trees, Xurient.

--Theophenes, 21:23, 21 Apr 2005 (EDT)