Stelettia

Stelletias are shrubs, typically growing no taller than 2 feet. They have large, veined leaves that are wide at the base and taper to a fine point at the tip. The leaves grow out from a sturdy central stalk in sets of five, creating a star shape when viewed from above.

The top of the plant consists of a cluster of tiny flowers surrounded by five blue bracts. Due to their bright color, the bracts are often mistaken for flower petals. The true flowers are smaller than a thumbnail and either pale yellow or white.

At night, the stelettia's bracts emit a gentle glow. The glow is a side effect of aurasynthesis.

Stelettias are originally from the Eastern Islands of Sanoris. Growing in the steep cliffsides of the mountains, they adapted aurasynthesis to supplement the poor nutrition they received from the soil.

Settlers on the islands were quickly taken by the plant's beauty, especially at night. It was discovered that a pigment could be created from the dried leaves--a pigment which glowed when exposed to Lunar Aura.

Following the demand for glowing ink, cultivars of the plant quickly spread across the continent. They are now grown along the Divide and within the Grasslands, with some farmers even managing to support populations across the Divide in northern Auzera. Wild populations have become very rare, usually only seen in inaccessible reaches of the Eastern Islands' cliffs.

Stelettias are primarily grown for the production of Luminous ink, which has a variety of useful applications. The ink made from stelettia leaves is pale blue-gray when dormant, but reacts to Lunar Aura with a vibrant blue glow.

Stelettias are also popular decorative plants, both indoors and in outdoor gardens. They are sometimes used as glow-in-the-dark markers for the edges of garden paths.

While they are relatively cheap to obtain, producing high quality ink from the bracts requires some expertise. The type of soil, frequency of watering, amount of sunlight, and types of nutrients the plant receives can all have a large impact on the quality of color and glow. The best pigments come from their native islands, where families have been cultivating and harvesting stelettias for generations.