Scorching Aphadalia

Scorching aphadalia are a hot commodity around southern Avasai. Sizzling to the touch, these gourds don't need to be cooked. Once ripened, it is important to split open these vegetables as soon as possible. The inside of a scorching aphadalia will continue to rise in temperature until it explodes with steam and scorching seeds.

When strapped for time, cooks will wrap this gourd in a dough to bake bowl-shaped breads, which they then fill with soups and salads.

Taxonomy

Scorching aphadalia are in the genus Cucurbita, alongside pumpkins, winter squash, and other vegetables. They are one of few gourds with pyromagical qualities.

Anatomy

Scorching Aphadalia by Mochi

Come on, son. Help me lift this into the truck. We might need a third person to help, actually.

— Father and son at a gourd market

The largest vegetable on Capepo, scorching aphadalia can reach heights of up to four feet. They have a distinctive red and brown colouration, with a brown base and a red body. These gourds grow so large that gravity pulls them down to the ground

They have an unusual shape, with a flat base, a wide body which slims down at the neck and forms four large ridges. Each plant has a unique shape, with different ridges, lines, and bumps. None are perfectly symmetrical, either.

Scorching aphadalia have an extremely thick stem, sometimes up to a foot thick. This helps them support the growth of up to five gourds on a single stem. Small flowers grow all over the stalk, with vivid yellow rounded petals.

Varieties

Caliber

A red and white striped variety.

Red Giant

A variety that grows to great sizes and is extremely hot.

Bloomburst

The bloomburst variety contains a nutritious pink steam

Oava

A black and grey variety, with a small hint of red.

Ridgeback

A variety with double the ridges, much sharper.

Vale

The vale variety is red with horizontal dark green stripes.

Habitat

The natural habitat of the scorching aphadalia is up for debate, given this is a heavily cultivated species. It is thought they originated around the Emberled Mountains, a volcanic region known for its pyromagical inhabitants.

They don't grow in the wild, and are an entirely domestic species. It is advised only skilled gardeners grow scorching aphadalia, as if they are left too long they can be quite destructive and can easily destroy any other plant in the vicinity, boiling them.

Scorching aphadalia require large spaces to grow. They take up the majority of a regular sized solarium, needing to be planted around a metre deep, in healthy, fertile soil.