Image Credit: Here
Name: Juncea
Homeworld: Mellaniphe
Development Thread: If Necessary
Average Measurements:
- Height: 0.3048 m (1 ft)
- Width: 11.43 cm (4.5 in)
- Weight: 340.194 g (12 oz)
Cultivation Requirements:
- Moist Soil
- Type I Atmosphere
- Water
Strengths:
- Pain Killer - The flower of the Juncea plant, when properly processed, can be used as a potent pain killer. It is because of this that the Quinata Healers on Mellaniphe have begun to cultivate the plant in order to have a ready supply in order to aid in the treatment of their patients. While the Actaeanis have a higher tolerance to the painkiller, some species may find it to be more addicting than other medicines.
- Cultivated - Due to the flowers use as a pain killer, the Quinata Healers have begun to cultivate the plant, ensuring that it can be harvested more frequently in a growing season, and producing a larger yield.
Weaknesses:
- Water Guzzler - One of the down sides of this plant is that it requires a large amount of water in order to keep it growing. Thus it can not be imported to more Arid Planets where water is a commodity and scarce resource. Often it is not seen on other worlds other than Mellaniphe; unless it is in the care of a botanist or has been planted in the wild near a sufficient source of fresh water.
- Nutritional Dependency - Another reason that it is often not seen on many worlds other than Mellaniphe is due in part to its high nutritional needs. In order to ensure that the plant grows to full maturity in the growing season and produces the highest yield of flowers that it can, the Juncea plant requires frequent nutritional feeding and soil changes.
Distinctions:
- Increased Growth Rate
- Increased 'Crop' yield
- Shifting Flower Colorization - During its growth cycle the flowers change from a dulcet blue to a brilliant bright violet color once the flower is ready to be harvested. If the flower is not harvest at that time, it eventually wilts and turns into a dark purple; at which point the flower becomes toxic.
Average Growth Cycle:
- 1 Month by the Standard Galactic Calendar
Average Life:
- Average Plant Life: 7 Months by the Standard Galactic Calendar
- Average Flower Shelf Life: 1 Week by the Standard Galactic Calendar
Nutritional Value: No known nutritional value
History:
The Juncea is a native flowering plant that originates on Mellaniphe; though it has been seen on a handful of worlds that are similar in climate to Mellaniphe, or have an ample supply of fresh water. It was originally a wide spread species of plants, with multiple subspecies in the same family, however during the cataclysmic war, many of those families of Juncea were either destroyed or otherwise caused their medicinal qualities to fade or become toxic. The surviving species and the currently most wide spread of the species has been selectively bred with surviving members of similar subspecies to produce a rapidly growing plant that can be harvested multiple times during the growth cycle.
Ancient Mellaniphians would often chew on the leaves due to the plant's chemical make up that acted as a mild pain killer. This often alleviated discomfort and in some individuals even had a calming effect. Due to the Actaeanis' species allergy to bacta, the Quinata Healers have begun to cultivate and care for these plants for use in Actaeanis medicines.
Intent:
This submission is intended to further expand upon and develop the rich lore and culture of the Actaeanis species and the planet Mellaniphe. Likewise, due in part to the Actaeanis species' biological allergy to Bacta and those few whom also have an allergy to the rarer Kolto, the Juncea plant is meant to provide for the Quinata Healers a plant that can be used for medicinal purposes among the Actaeanis species.
