Key:
H=this plant is listed only in a historic manner, and may or may not currently exist on Pern. It can probably be safely assumed it still exists somewhere.
I=This plant is a known import to Pern from Earth
N=This plant is a known native to Pern
?=I was uncertain of the information, and made an educated guess.
Aconite (H)Known location: near Fort Hold
Growth form: root
Uses: medicinal herb, anodyne, for heart palpitations. Root is used in a powdered form.
Outside Info: All parts of this plant are toxic. The root is used externally for nerve- related pain. It is a sedative, painkiller, and anti-fever treatment. The plant grows to 1.5m with helmut-sheped voilet flowers in early summer.
AdonisUses: medicinal herb, anodyne, for heart palpitations.
Outside Info: Grows to 20cm. Has feathery leaves with bright yellow daisy-like flowering tops in spring. All parts of the plant are toxic, and the flowering tops contain seeds which contain sedatives and heart stimulants.
Air vinesKnown location: Paradise River
AlfalfaUses: medicinal, as a tea it is good for the stomach. diuretic. Outside Info: Grows to 80cm. Has purple flowers and 3-part leavs. Leavs and sprouted seeds can be eaten in salads. It is an appetite stimulant for convalescents, and is used by Arabs as horse fodder to increase speed. It is also said to increase production of cow's milk. The seeds are used to make a yellow dye.
AlmondGrowth form: tree
Known locations: Benden Hold
Uses: edible nuts Outside Info: Has dark bark, and rose to white flowers in early spring. The fixed oil from the kernel is used in cosmetics and as a base for some medicines.
AloeUses: medicinal herb, for burns Outside Info: The gel can be used in shampoo for dry,itchy scalp. It speeds cell regeneration and is 1st aid for small burns, cuts, chapped skin, sunburn, eczema, and dermatitis.
Ash (I)Growth form: Tree
General habitat: 'higher reaches' (dragonlovers guide)-hills/higher ground over the flat plains(?)
Uses: ash bark used medicinally, as a diuretic and febrifuge. Outside Info: Because of the variety of trees called 'ash', it is difficult t
AsparagusUses: asparagus tinticure used (primarily in Weyrs) to stave off drunkedness. Also is a part of the 'killer cure' for hangovers.
Bamboo grasses (N)Growth form: bamboo-like grassoid, triangular cross-section
Known locations: Nerat Hold, Southern Hold
General habitat: marshy land
Uses: Nerat: braid and twisted like wicker, used for furniture.
Southern: used as food
Misc.: light and strong. Southern:"...grow so swiftly that in the afternoon a kitchen auntie has to cut down stalks she planted in the morning, or they will be too tough to eat at dinner." (Dragonlovers)
BananaKnown locations: Boll
BarleyUses: brewed as tea to combat symptoms of cystis (common complaint of female dragonriders)
Outside Info: Grain is used for cereal, meal, bread, soups, and is used to brew beer, whiskey, and gin. Malt extract and barley foods aid convalescence and soothe internal passages. Germinated grain treats bronchitis. Straw left to rot in pond water inhibits algae growth.
BasilUses: medicinal herb, antispasmodic
Outside Info: Grows in many forms. The essential oil scents soaps and perfumes, and is used to treat anxiety, headaches, respitory problems, and aids concentration and digestion. An infusion of basil aids digestion and is a nerve tonic. The essential oil should be avoided during pregnancy. Basil can be used in salads.
BeachberryUses: edible, used in pies.
Beans (I,H)[/u]
Growth form: Earth beans Uses: food
Outside Info:Bean pods help reduce high blood pressure and regulate blood sugar metabolism.
BerriesKnown location: Igen/Lemos forest
Uses: edible, can be made into jam. Berry wax can be made into candles.
Misc.: Berries are often talked about, but sometimes not noted which type they are.
BirchGrowth form: tree
Known location: Igen/Lemos forests
Blackberries(I, same as black marshberries?)
Growth form: Earth blackberry bush
Known locations: High Reaches Hold
Uses: fruit, made into brandy
Outside Info: Leaf decoction is a blood and skin tonic. A poultice of the leaf treats eczema. Fruits create a blue-grey dye, and the young shoots (with alum as a moderant) make a creamy fawn color.
Black marshberriesKnown location: near Half-Circle Seahold
Uses: edible, large quantities could be pressed for oil
Blooming plantKnown location:Southern Boll
misc. info: Has fragrant pink blossoms tangling in clusters. Blooms in 'winter'. possibly year round.
Blueberry (I)Growth form: Earth blueberry bush
Uses: fruit, most popular for bubbly pies
Borage, Borrago(?) (I,H)Growth form:herb
Uses: medicinal and/or cooking herb, used for coughs
Outside Info: Grows to 60cm, with blue star-like flowers. The flowers can be used to decorate salads and cakes. The leavs flavor drinks and dips. A leaf and flower infusion is an adrenalin tonic for stress, depression, or cortisone and steroid treatment. It reduces fevers, dry coughs, dry skin rashes, and stimulates milk folow. Pressed seed oil can be used for menstural and irratible bowel problems, eczema, blood pressure, arthritis, and hangover. The flowers produce a nice pure blue for paints. Mix leaf with barley and bran in a small muslin bag and use in a bath to cleanse and soften skin.
BoxUses: medicinal, diaphoretic
BrassicaeKnown location: Nabol
Outside Info: Brassicae is part of the scientific name of a variety of plants commonly known as mustards. At one time, it may have been adopted as another name for mustard. Unfortunately, I do not remember which book had this term.
Bulge-nutKnown location: Igen/Lemos forrest.
Uses: edible, large quantities can be made into bread.
Misc.: The acid from teh nut kills other undergrowth.
CeleryKnown location: Nabol
Cherries (I,H)Growth form: Earth cherry
CitronGrowth Form: Large shrub or small tree
Uses: fruit (contains vitamin C). Used by Moreta as a hopeful preventitive.
Outside Info: Info on Citron can be found at
www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/citron.htmlComfrey (H)Known location: Fort Hold
Uses: medicinal herb, used for burns, coughs
Outside Info: Likes damp grasslands, river banks and woodlands. Oval, pointed leaf is marbled with green and yellow. Flowers range from blue to pink to white, and bloom in spring. The plants grow to 120cm. The leaf contains vitamins and minerals that speeds cell renewal of damaged muscels and broken bones. The leaf tea aids inflamed, ulcerated digestive tracts and eases coughs. Leaf poultice reduces swelling and brusing around sprains and arthritic joints. Comfrey speeds healing of cuts, bruises, open sores, and eczema. Internal use of roots and large amounts of leavs should be avoided. The leaf and root can be infused and added to a bath or lotion to soften skin. To make an 'oil' for eczema and skin inflammations, cut clean, dry leavs into 1" squares, put in clean,dark jar, and store unopened for 2 years. Decant into small container.
ConifersKnown locations: Tillek, High Reaches
Coriander (I,H)Growth form:herb
Uses: medicinal and/or cooking herb
Outside Info: Grows to 20cm, flowers in summer. Leavs are used in Mid Eastern and Asian cusine. Its mildly narcotic seeds are used in pickles, cakes, biscuits, pies, curries, and liquors. The root is added to curries and the stem to beans and soups. It is a wine flavoring used by the Greeks. The seed is mildly sedative, aids digestion, reduces flatulence and eases migranes. The essential oil is made from the seeds, and is used in perfumes. It flavors medicine and toothpaste and is added to massage oil for facial neuralgia and cramps.
Corn (I)Growth form:Earth corn
Known locations: Paradise River Hold
Outside Info: Corn can be made into vegitable oil and cornstarch. Cornstarch is used in cosmetics, laundry starch, and as a base for suppositorys. Cornsilk is a stimulant, diuretic, and is soothing, treats liver weakness and hypertension. A silk and bract poultice draws puss from wounds. Empty cob treats bleeding, roots and leavs treat urinary difficulties.
Cotton (I)Growth form: Terran cotton
Known location: Fort Hold, Boll, Southern
General habitat: sand+clay soil
Uses: made into thread, cotton velvet material, other materials
Outside Info: Seeds are pressed for edible oil, residual oil is used for stock food. Gossypol, extracted from seed oil, has potential as a male contraceptive. Oil is antivirul, antibacterial, and eases menstural pain. Seed hairs are woven into fabric.
Cottonwood tree (I,H?)Growth form: Earth cottonwood tree
General habitat: open plains
Uses: Used by the colonists to break ground and provide shelter for oak and pine seedlings.
Outside Info: Cottonwood is a very weak-wooded tree, and branches may come down in heavy storms.
Creeper vineGrowth form: clinging vine
General habitat: grows from borders of grain field
Misc.: strangles crops. (wheat)
CressKnown location: general area of Half-Circle seahold
General habitat: streams by ocean where water freshens
Uses: edible, sweet with a tangy aftertaste.
Outside Info: Most likely the type of cress mentioned in Dragonsinger is watercress. It has small white flowers in spring and summer, pungent compound leavs, with large terminal leaflet. Popular in salads and soups. It is diuretic, an expectorant tonic for anemia, prevents scurvy, cleanses the blood, and clears the skin. It is a folk treatment for tuberculosis and internal tumors.
CucumberUses: used for burns
Outside Info: Fresh slices give a cooling eye compress. The pressed seed oil is edible. Pulped flesh is added to facial masks and sooths sunburn. LEavs treat fever and intestinal flu. Fruit is eaten raw, pickled, or cooked.
DealGrowth form: tree
Known location: Lemos
Misc.: grows quickly.
Dragon's tongue (N)Growth form: similar to Aloe
Uses: for burns
Ezob (H)Known location: near Fort Hold
Uses: medicinal herb, diaphoretic. Used for coughs.
FeatherfernGrowth form: Fern(?)
Known location:Fort Hold, Southern
Uses: to relieve fever, used in tonic. Also used on runners.
Fellis Tree (N)Growth form: small, branchy, drooping tree.
Flowers: fragrant, pink(DragonQuest) yellow(DragonLovers Guide) clustered blooms with pointed petals. Has clusters of berry-like fruit.
Fruit: Fellis juice made from the fruit, which has though skins. Known locations: Southern Weyr area, Nerat, Telgar Hold, Fort Hold, Paradise River Hold (wild), Ruatha
Uses: dye (dyes wherhide a deep green), narcotic painkiller that can be addictive. Wood is used to carve furniture.
Misc.: At Paradise river, Fellis trunks grow larger than 3 men could span with fingers touching. Large enough amounts can be lethal. (Nerkila)
FernsGrowth form: Fern
Known location: Southern Weyr
General habitat: tropical regions
Uses: improvised bedding
Fingeroots (carrots)Known locations: Fort Hold, Nabol
Uses: edible
Flax (I)Growth form: Earth flax
Known location: Boll
Uses: fiber for weaving
Outside Info: Stem yields durable fibers, used to make linen and twine. It has slender stems with linear green leavs, flat blue flowers, and oily brown seeds. The mineral-rich seeds yield cold-pressed oil for cooking and hot pressed linseed oil for artist's and industrial use. Seeds contain soothing mucilage, oil contains fatty acids that reduces the risk of thrombosis and treats nutritional deficiencies. Internal overdose may cause poisoning. The seeds can also be used in 'eye pillows' to gently cool tired or sore eyes.
GarlicKnown locations: fort Weyr
Uses: edible, medicinal, used for high blood pressure, as a cold remedy, used by Moreta as a pallative
GingGrowth form: Tree. Thick and spongy fronds.
Known location: Ista
Uses: Fronds can be used as improvised forrest bedding. The fronds make handy needlethorn packages, as the sap from the cut edges of leavs forms its own glue. Leaf sap will also seal puncture wounds. In _Moreta_, it was stated that softnuts (which are edible) were 'on all the trees', so it could be assumed that they are ging softnuts.
Misc.: Moreta described the ging forrest in the fall as "a green face with a thousand black-rimmed eyes." Needlethorn is always found in the prescence of ging trees.
Ginkgo (I,H)Growth form: Tree
General habitat: open plains
Uses: Colonists used Ginkgo to break ground and provide shelter for oak and pine seedlings.
Outside Info: Notched, fan-sheped leavs that turn yellow in fall. The seeds and leavs are used in Chineese medicine for lung problems. Extract from yellow leavs contains vitamins that strengthens blood vessels and reduces production of tissue-damaging 'free radicals' and tarpones (which reduce clump-forming blood platelets). It is said to improve brain efficiency and cellular energy. When ripe, the seeds give off a foul-smelling odor.
GlovecapUses: medicinal herb, anodyne
Goru pearUses: it is a tart fruit. Reference to the Perneese Goru pear (it's mentioned in the Freedon series as well) can be found in Moreta, chapter 5 (p.68 of paperback version)
GrainKnown location: near Benden Weyr, Telgar, Half-Circle seahold, Paradise River Hold
Uses: edible
Misc.: most of grain consumed in north grown by Telgar. Telgar also has best beer in Pern
Grapes (I)Growth form: Earth grapes
Known locations: Benden, Fort(H), Tillek, Nabol, Lemos, Nerat
Uses: fruit, wine.
Outside Info: Processed grape residue is used to make cream of tartar. The leavs provide a food wrap, pressed seeds produce a fine culinary oil, also valued for aromatherapy massage.
GrassLocation: River Islands in Southern.
Uses: Tufts contain theraputic seeds, branches can be bundled and used as a temporary raft(eventually they'll absorb too much water), the heart (just above the root ball) can be dried and ground into a powder that is good for fever, esp. Firehead. The shoots are edible.
GrassesKnown locations: various forms exist over many parts of Pern
Uses: bedding
Green fruits(Lime? Drasgonlovers lists a green citrus fruit. Green apple? Pear?)
Known location: Southern, Cove Hold, Ista(Citrus)
GreensKnown location: near Half-Circle seahold, Nabol
Uses: used like salad, served with dressing.
Gooseberry (I)Growth form: Earth gooseberry bush
Uses: fruit
HardwoodsGrowth form: tree
Known location: Lemos, Igen
Uses: rarely, used to make small quantities of lye soap
Misc.: all hardwoods are imported
Hazel, Witch (I,H)Uses: medicinal herb, for skin
Outside Info: In this case, most likely witchhazel. It is a large shrub with smooth brown bark, fragrant winter flowers, and woodsy fruit capsules. A distillation fron the leavs and flower-bearing twigs is used in skin products for it's disinfectant and astrigent properties. It is used on chapped and sunburned skin, bruises, swelling, rashes, to stop bleeding, and to reduce vericose veins and hemmoriods. Seeds are edible and can be brewed for a warming tea.
Hazel nut treeKnown location:Benden Hold
Outside Info: A large shrub that grows to 10m. Has male catkins in spring and clusters of nuts in fall. Nuts are eaten raw and used in candy, cakes and liquers. The edible nut oil is used in cooking, perfumes, and lubricants.
HempKnown locations: Nabol, Southern(?)
Uses: rope
Outside Info: Hemp seed oil is used in soaps and lotions.
HerbsUses: varieties of herbs are stored with clothes and bedsheets, possibly to keep bugs away and to keep the cloth fresh-smelling. Aromatic herbs (possibly peppermint amoung others) stepped in hot water to make breathing easier.
Hissop, Hyssop (H)Known location: near Fort Hold
Uses: medicinal herb, used for coughs. It is said that a winecupfull a day keeps off respitory problems, such as croup.
Outside Info: Semievergreen shrub with aromatic leavs and spikes of blue, two-tipped late summer flowers. Leaf is added to liquors, adds bite to sweet and savory dishes, and aids in digestion of fatty meals. Leavs contain antiseptic, antiviral oil. A mold that produces pennicilin grows on the leavs. An infusion is taken as a sedative expectorant for the flu, bronchitis, and phlegm. Leaf poultice treats bruises and wounds. The essential oil is used in perfumes and treats cold sores, helps disperse bruises, and helps heal scars. The essential oil should be used with caution, as it is fairly hazardous. Hyssop should be avoided by pregnant women and people with hypertension or epilepsy. Hyssop is added to potpourris and laundry rinses.
Hops (I,H)Growth form: Earth hops
Uses: medicinal herb, anaodyne
Outside Info: One of the primary ingredients of beer. Young shoots are eaten as a vegetable, leavs are blanched for soups. Hop tea is a nerve tonic, mild sedative, muscle relaxant. The essential oil is used in perfumes and lotions. Hops can cause skin allerges. Dried flower bracts can be used in herbal 'pillows' to aid/help induce sleep.
IlexUses: For pneumonia.
Outside Info: Ilex is part of the scientific name of the Holly family. The tea from different spiecies have different medicinal uses, so it is probably the leaf tea that is used to treat pneumonia on Pern.
Itch-leafKnown lcoations:Fort Hold
Misc.: obnoxious weed
Kiwi (I)Known location: Boll, Igen
Uses: fruit
Misc.: genetically altered form of Kiwi.
Klahbark Tree (N)Growth form: tree
Known locations: near Half-Circle seahold, Benden Hold
Uses: Bark is brewed to produce a coffee-like substance, tastes like a cross between coffee and chocolate, with a spicy aftertaste. The bark is also used as a spice.
LavenderKnown location: Nabol
Outside Info: Flowers flavor jams, vinegars, sweets, creams, stews. Dried flowers are used in potpourri. Leaf is bitter and sometimes used in cooking. Flower water is a skin toner useful for cell renewal and is an antiseptic for acne. Flower tea treats anxiety, headaches, flatulence, nausea, dizziness, and halitosis. The essential oil is used in perfumes and is antisceptic, mildly sedative, and painkilling. The oil is applied to insect bites, treats burns, sore throats, and headaches. Oil is added to baths as a relaxant. Treats rheumatic aches, insomnia, depression, high blood pressure, lymphatic congestion, poor digestion, and menstural problems. Use the essential oil in a massage oil for muscle aches. Use a few drops of oil in final rinse water for linen or hair. Because of it's versitality, lavender essential oil is probably stocked in all holds, and is likely to be part of trader's wares.