Styrofoam Peanut Plant
The Styrofoam peanut is native to the Gri'x. A major export crop, Styrofoam peanut fields are a common sight in the southern farmlands of Tarnation County. The soft, squishy, fruits are an important part of Crating's economy, as they are the preferred packing material for just about any object to be stored or shipped. They can also be ground into pulp, pressed, and molded into sheets, cups, and many other forms.
One fruit will produce one plant. However, if the fruits are broken into pieces, each piece will also produce one plant. Farmers must save only a small percentage of each year's harvest for grinding and sowing, as a few fruits will yield entire fields.
Styrofoam peanuts are hardy crops, and will grow well in almost any climate. They require very little water after their initial 10-day growth spurt, reaching maturity within 6 weeks. They are often used as a transition plant for crop rotation: the fruits themselves require only carbon and hydrogen molecules which they absorb from the air around them, so once the fruits are harvested, the nutrients left in the juicy stems and thick leaves can be ground up to store nutrients, or simply left to decompose in the fields and replenish the topsoil for the next season.
The white, foamy fruits require no preservation efforts, as they have an infinite shelf life if stored securely in boxes or plastic bags. However, this is easier said than done—the fruits readily absorb electrons, building up a nearly constant field of static electricity. This allows them to attach themselves to almost any surface: clothing, skin, hair, cardboard, rubber, plastic, etc., and disperse themselves far and wide. They will grow anywhere they happen to land, so long as they have access to soil in which they can take root.
Despite the fruits’ usefulness in the shipping industries, they are considered a nuisance plant in Crating, as they quickly take over sidewalks, parking lots, and anywhere else that their hapless carriers manage to brush them off. Many warehouses employ special cleaning crews who regularly scour the grounds with positively charged vacuum containers, picking up errant Styrofoam fruits and returning them to secure storage.
One fruit will produce one plant. However, if the fruits are broken into pieces, each piece will also produce one plant. Farmers must save only a small percentage of each year's harvest for grinding and sowing, as a few fruits will yield entire fields.
A few straggling Styrofoam peanut plants linger in a dawn-lit field during the days of the early-autumn harvest.
Styrofoam peanuts are hardy crops, and will grow well in almost any climate. They require very little water after their initial 10-day growth spurt, reaching maturity within 6 weeks. They are often used as a transition plant for crop rotation: the fruits themselves require only carbon and hydrogen molecules which they absorb from the air around them, so once the fruits are harvested, the nutrients left in the juicy stems and thick leaves can be ground up to store nutrients, or simply left to decompose in the fields and replenish the topsoil for the next season.
The white, foamy fruits require no preservation efforts, as they have an infinite shelf life if stored securely in boxes or plastic bags. However, this is easier said than done—the fruits readily absorb electrons, building up a nearly constant field of static electricity. This allows them to attach themselves to almost any surface: clothing, skin, hair, cardboard, rubber, plastic, etc., and disperse themselves far and wide. They will grow anywhere they happen to land, so long as they have access to soil in which they can take root.
Despite the fruits’ usefulness in the shipping industries, they are considered a nuisance plant in Crating, as they quickly take over sidewalks, parking lots, and anywhere else that their hapless carriers manage to brush them off. Many warehouses employ special cleaning crews who regularly scour the grounds with positively charged vacuum containers, picking up errant Styrofoam fruits and returning them to secure storage.
Scientific Name
Arachis Packis
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