Riciani

Riciani

A small, mushroom-like tree that can be found on the outskirts of Pachimori and the Great Buddy Forest. Other varieties of it can be found in the Fuline Islands and certain southern Reline Islands. There's even a variety to be found on the coast of Furheart Iiah and in Warminia Songliane. Riciani and other rice-producing plants are a popular commodity with Neonya and Kitonya owners, as the kernels that the Riciani grows are an essential food source for domesticated pets like the Neonya and Kitonya, so its cosmopolitan nature lends itself to being a fairly reliable food source for these pets. That, and, so long as it is near water or is fresh out of the rainy season, it can regrow it's supply fairly quickly, so as long as one is willing to make the trek to the nearest wild Riciani or the nearest shop where the kernels can be found, owners of Neonyas or Kitonyas seldom have a lack of supply. However, these two species must be fed portions rather than left to free-feed, as they are known to devour what would usually last them a week in one meal if left to their own devices. Perhaps this is why Riciani adapted to fruiting so prolifically in a short time, as wild Neonyas or Kitonyas would seldom spare them if found.

Furheartian Varia Maria

A simple flower found to be growing in Furheart Iiah. Its bright pink stems are reminiscent of Vina Heartias, leading some to believe they are related.

Varia Marias come in a large variety of shapes and adapt to their environment. As a result, many flowers by the Varia Maria name look nearly nothing alike despite their documented ancestry. Due to how different they look, they are sometimes given native names and their status as a Varia Maria becomes separate.

Identifying a flower as a Varia Maria always starts with hearing from the locals about the flower's ancestry. Other than the fact that Varia Marias are always small, there is often very little linking any given small flower to the Varia Maria family, but beliefs about them abound. It was once thought that there was only one Varia Maria per continent, but this was later discovered to be untrue. That said, their adaptations seem to be linked to the area that they grow in, and some types of Varia Maria can be quite rare.

The Furheartian Varia Maria in particular is deceptively rare; it has the look of a very common flower, or like it might be a hybrid of a Vinia Heartia and some other plant. And while it isn't confirmed whether or not it has mixed ancestry, there is a reason that it was thought to be the only one on the continent for a long time.

Karakaramiin Riifu

A plant found on islands near Furheart Iiah. Another variety grows on the continent as well, but it bears more cottony tufts and is a lighter pink. Attempts have been made to cultivate the plant in Wing Alaynan soil, but they have been largely unsuccessful thus far. The plant is quite popular with Neonyas and Kitonyas especially, having a mild hyperactive effect on them. The flowers have something of a nutty taste to them, and may cause Buddys to feel snackish and want more of them, but otherwise does not have quite the same effect on them. The leaves have a watery, much milder nut taste to them, a bit like water chestnuts. The roots produce tubers much like water chestnuts as well. The plant makes for a very popular house plant if its needs can be properly attended to, even for non-pet owners who also don't particularly care for the taste of the plant. That said though, it needs to be kept in a capsule that imitates its native climate, and such technology is only found in the Queen's Palace, so it can be a bit of a hassle for potential owners to obtain the means to properly care for one.

Ranrinia Duplana

Relative of the Ranrinia Triplana, the Duplana species usually comes into bloom around Cloudalon, the third month, as the rainy season is starting to break up. It was thought for a long time that Duplanas were Triplanas in a different phase of life, but it is now understood that they are different species.

It prefers intermittent rain, so it is sometimes also seen at the start of the rainy season in late Zephyrlan, the ninth month, before things get too intense for it.

Like the Triplana, the Duplana can also grow flowers in its center. Though it can't hold as much water, it does gather a little, especially during the rainy season, and the various debris that finds itself in its blossom also helps to support the small flowers that get their start within its petals.

Spirra Starra

A recently discovered plant found on Hoshimi Island off the north coast of Crescent Minoria near Koraln Sing. Thought to be related to several other glowing star plants like it, the Spirra Starra is a unique species only found on Hoshimi Island because of the combined climate it receives from its nearest landmasses. Each continent generally causes the flora there to grow a certain way because of various factors. Crescent Minoria in particular causes native plants to grow hard, generally glass-like, dark-colored stems. The glass-like part often applies to the petals as well. The flora there also thrive at night, deriving much of their energy from the Crescent Minoria moon or the stars. Hoshimi Island is situated such that it receives much of this 'climate' from its parent continent, Crescent Minoria, but is far enough away from it that it is not completely 'governed' by it, which in turn gives rise to many different flora that ordinarily would not thrive in Crescent Minoria soil. Though some of these factors are unclear as stems of varying transparency are found on Crescent Minoria, though they do trend towards dark and more opaque. This is thought to be one of the reasons that the Spirra Starra can only grow on Hoshimi Island, as the clarity of its stem is more like that of a Sky Buddy World clearplant, where its nearest relatives can be found. The Spirra Starra is thought to be a hybrid of several Sky Buddy World plants whose seeds fell or blew out towards Hoshimi Island and found a suitable home there. It is even thought that it could be an escaped plant from some Sky Buddy World gardener who had their hybrid seeds blow away on them.

Despite its proximity to Koraln Sing, Hoshimi Island does not receive a very strong 'climate' influence from the continent, but instead receives a general oceanic climate. If anything, it is thought to receive the other half of its climate from Wing Alayna, despite the fact that Wing Alayna is separated from Koraln Sing, Crescent Minoria and Hoshimi Island by many miles of Buddy Ocean. It is thought perhaps this is due to a current that comes down past Mewga Island off the southeast coast of Wing Alayna and around through Crescent Minoria's Gulf of Luna. Since Mewga Island also has a strong 'climatory' influence, however, the theory is unconfirmed. Proponents of the currents theory will generally explain this discrepancy by pointing out that Mewga Island's influence, though strong on the island itself, is not strong enough to be carried across the ocean, and thus is not the cause of Hoshimi Island's blended climate. While it is generally believed that a continent's influence is bound to its surrounding area, anomalies like Hoshimi Island are beginning to beg the question of what happens to land situated on the border of this influence. Another theory is that oceanic climates bring their own 'default' influence, and that default is generally Wing Alaynan influence. Some of this could be explained by their proximity to Wing Alayna, or perhaps even their proximity to other Wing Alaynan-influenced oceans. Either way, Wing Alayna is generally accepted as the standard for normalcy in many areas, including matters of climate. One may even go so far as to consider Wing Alayna the 'default' state of JI, and all other landmasses are varying degrees of abnormality. Perhaps it should be no surprise then that this overriding default is sometimes strong enough to cross miles of ocean and ignore weaker influences. Either way, Hoshimi Island proves to be an interesting area of study on how the continents influence floral growth and adaptation, just how far that influence can extend, how those influences can blend, and even what it means for a flora to be 'Cresent Minorian,' 'Wing Alaynan,' and so forth.

Curloa Pinwheria

Thought to be related to the Windia Flowana, but more closely associated with the Pinwheria Magnificentia. Like the Windia Flowana, the Curloa Pinwheria derives much of its energy from the wind. It likes growing in windy places such as the windward side of the Great Buddy Mountains and Highlands, but can be found wherever it can get a decent wind. If it finds its way to a place without much wind, it tends to droop, and may even recede back into the soil.