Fauna & Flora - The Tiliana Pods

Found amongst the notes of the late travelling apothecary and researcher, Esmerelda Deboria (1296 - 1398), who was working on her new book 'The Hidden Life of Cerestowe' when she passed at the incredible age of 102. These notes, along with many others, were given to her daughter, Lillian Deboria, who now works tirelessly to carry on her mothers legacy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day time = From dawn these little treasures open their petals and bloom, revealing the wonderful shades of pinks and purples that colour the inside of this flower. The pods in the centre bloom out of their hard outer shells, turning into what appear to be little fluffy white cotton buds.

Night time = From dusk, these flowers turn sinister and their petals close, hiding their beautiful colours within their dull grey outer walls. Once closed, they form a pod shape and 'spit' their inner pods, propelling them high into the air, where they burst, a sight that is both fascinating to experience and highly dangerous if stood too close. Turns out, the cotton-like fluff is a deadly poison to those who inhale it as it spills into the air. From what I can tell from the locals, it's victims die remarkably quickly, and if not found soon enough, serve only to fertilise the swampy grounds in which these flowers grow.

Found in groups of two or three at a time across the warm and damp swamplands of Cerestowe, these deceivingly devilish flowers aren't too common, but can be a nasty surprise to those wandering the area. If travelling after dusk, the locals will steer you clear of places where the Tiliana Pods grow, or at the very least, advise you to cover your face, as this will prevent the pods deadly seed from entering your lungs, for which there is no cure. If travelling during the day, however, feel free to traverse the swamps and even admire these flowers, which, since dawn, have opened their gorgeous petals to soak in the sun and drink in the rain, a transformation so strange to witness that I urge those interested to seek them out, from a distance of course.

Tiliana Pods are relatively tall for their size, standing up to 3ft off the ground in some parts. The stem is strong and very solid, holding up the fantastic 'spitting' contraption at the end, as well as one single leaf that grows from the bottom. This leaf seems to serve little purpose to the flower as a whole, but its brightly coloured green surface and striped dark violet underside serves as welcome relief from the dull browns and greys of the stem and the outside petals during darker hours of the day.