Dillet
A dillet is a small pinecone like strobili produced by the bosavarill tree (also called the "tree of miracles"). Dillets contain vitalius, a thick, red, milky fluid in its core which is widely prized as a miracle cure. While it cannot heal wounds or end all disease, it has been shown to cure most inexplicable illnesses and save the dying.
Etymology
The officially accepted name for the tree in academia is "bosavarill", which comes from the Low Dwarvish for "Great Healer". The name "vitalius" comes from the elvish for "soul".
Structure
The inside of the loculus is lined with the sacula (sa-KUL-uh). This paper like membrane breaks down upon the dillet's separation from the tree, allowing the vitalius to be absorbed into the microsporophyll, the hard bark-like structure which makes up the primary body of the cone.
Bosavarill tree
Description
The bosavarill tree is extremely rare, owing to the low fertility of its fruit and inability to live in all but the most hospitable conditions. Only a 17 are known to exist on Rynoth, though most experts believe the number is much higher and the trees have either not been found or are being kept hidden.
Specimens tend to be stout, with a trunk two meters across at the base and only six meters tall. Its wide base and short stature give the trunk an aggressive taper along its entire length. It has hard, rough, grey bark over an inch thick. Its branches are highly warped, often six or more meters in length but with bends and curves such that they do not reach more than two to three meters from the trunk.
Each branch contains several appendages, called lavollem (luh-VOLE-um), which are covered in dense bundles of needles. Regardless of how many branches a tree produces, it will always have twenty four lavollem. Each lavolla terminates in a conifer point the brown and red bulbous region where dillets are produced. The lavollem which produce fruit cycles over a twelve year period. If a lavolla is removed or its conifer point is damaged, the tree will not produce a fruit at its point in the rotation.
Bosavarill trees require very little sunlight to survive and are frequently found under large rock formations which provide them shade. They are never found in locations which expose them to direct sunlight. Those which have been exposed to sunlight develop blanched conifer points which shrivel up and fall off within a month. Given adequate shade, the tree will regrow new conifer points in five to seven years.
Cultivation
Cultivating the bosavarill tree is the most difficult task known to plant science. It is known to have been done successfully only once, at the Shining Stone Library by a task force of mages and biologists. This tree has come to be called "The Shining Stone Tree". The challenge comes from the plant's rapid growth and fragility, causing it to put tremendous strain on its environment and then die if those needs cannot be met. Due to its enormous root network, the tree is virtually impossible to transplant.
To grow a tree, one must plant a dillet. This must be done quickly, as upon breaking off the tree, a dillet will begin absorbing its vitalius into its outer structure and sprouting long roots into the soil. If these roots do not find soil, they will die within seconds. After a minute, it will have developed a root network one cubic meter in size, drawing in nutrients and water to continue its growth. If during this initial growth phase the tree fails to consume enough resources, it will shrivel and die.
Over the next few days, its root network will expand further into a hemisphere of dirt roughly 150 meters across. Any contest from other plants, clay or rocky soil, or impedance to expansion will cause the roots to die locally, then the rest of the root, and then the tree. It is this phase where most planting attempts have failed, as even under seemingly ideal conditions the tree has been known to reject the soil or exhaust its nutrients.
After this phase, the tree will begin to grow. While it is a volatile plant during growth, it is hearty in physical characteristics, developing a stout, hard base to its trunk even at a very small size. The tree will begin flowering around its twentieth year, assuming conditions are favorable. A handful of trees have been successfully raised, but none besides The Shining Stone Tree have borne fruit. The reason for fruitless trees is unknown, but some suspect it may be due to toxins in the soil or an excess of sunlight.
Vitalius
Vitalius is the sap-like fluid which is stored in the loculus or "pit", the elongated cavity at the center of the dillet. It is reddish brown in color and highly viscous.