Submission (#55) Approved

Ligtian Curling Brambles

Visible identifiers:
Mottled green stem, pink leaves, small white flowers, black fruit, curling branches, stems, and buds, thick base with purple fleshy insides, thick black or dark brown roots

Known for their fierce resilience and difficulty to remove due to deep roots, Ligtian curling brambles are a common native Ligt weed. Though native, Ligtian curling brambles will overtake more delicate crops and bushes during the warm season, making them quite the nuisance. They can be easily noticed by their soft pink leaves and thick base, which when removed is full of nutrients (though extremely bitter). It’s used in some dishes popular with older Softbots, though younger ones tend to avoid it for its taste.
While it originated in Ligt, it has begun to spread to other countries after their roots spread wide. Once the nutrient-rich base is removed, it sends out runners in every direction outward, which sprout up at intervals about 6 inches (15.24 cm) apart, with tiny fern-like buds which slowly unfurl, forming small nutrient reservoirs at the base of each.
It makes small clusters of white flowers on its stalk, with tiny dark fruits growing beneath. These fruits are technically edible, but provide little nutritional value and contain common allergens. The fruits can be compared to those of the Earthen jabuticaba tree — though unlike the brambles these are very much edible. The fruits have small internal seeds like a blueberry, and smell slightly sweet and very herbal. The fruits taste mildly sweet, with a sharp, almost chemical spiciness to them, and the dried versions are sometimes used as spices. Other than the berries and the inside of the base, it is not recommended to eat any other part of the plant.