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Description
This illustration depicts a selections of crops the Mai cultivate for making food, textiles, alcohol, etc. Some of these crops are distant relatives of plants found here on Earth, but others are of non-terrestrial origins. Fig. 4A, Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 all depict either the fruits and/or plants of the kokkinophyte lineage mentioned in another of my pieces. Fig. 5 and Fig. 8 are fruiting bodies grown from a phylum of plants that I have yet to describe in detail. For the time being, I will go ahead and call plants of this type, xanthophytes.

(Fig. 1) Yompu Fruit: a species of tart citrus fruit with a thick and knobby yellow-green rind. Its pulpy flesh is the color of pink coral, and its taste is reminiscent of an especially sour orange. These fruits are also known as yombu, and they are the favored meal of the tree-dwelling Yombudan which dwell in the forests of the Mayic homeland. People afflicted by deforming dermatological conditions are often said to have skin like a yompu fruit, though it may also more generally apply to anyone the speaker might find ugly or unattractive.

(Fig. 2) Honna Bulbs: an evolutionary cousin of terrestrial fennel plants. Their bulbs are smaller and more lozenge-shaped than a typical fennel plant, and its feathery leaves are longer and tinged with shades of violet. Honna bulbs have a flavor like mild licorice mixed with the fragrant qualities of a leek.

(Fig. 3) Laru Root: an earthen root vegetable distantly related to carrots and parsnips.  The preeminent cultivar is about half again as big as the average carrot and often has several branching roots that splay out from the main root body like the digits of a fingered citron (i.e., a buddha's hand fruit).  The taproot is sweet and starchy like a parsnip, and it is typically employed as an aromatic.  The leaves of younger plants are sometimes eaten as well.

(Fig. 4A) Yo Fruit Tree: a species of bidafyllid tree originating from the world of the Lizardfolk. Its fruits grow directly out of it's trunk.  The yo fruit has a taste not unlike fresh honey and its flesh has a consistency similar to a custard apple. Yo fruits may be eaten raw, but they may also be fermented into wine called kude, or yokte.

(Fig. 4B) Yo Fruit Wine: an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of mashed yo-fruits and malt derived from che grain. Kude is generally served after being warmed over a fire. Were someone from Earth to drink, the taste would be somewhat reminiscent of mead, mixed with the flavors of a banana wine.

(Fig. 5) Poge Gourds: A long, leathery gourd shaped like a plump cucumber. The meat of an immature gourd has a mild, nutty flavor most similar to an almond. The mature fruit is tough and bitter, and so it is rarely ever eaten. Nevertheless, ripe gourds can be dried out to make drinking vessels, and their seeds has antiphlogistic properties when mashed up and applied to wounds. Poge gourds grow from vines, and as such need to be supported by a trellis or a tree when farmed. The plant that produces poge gourds is of the xanthophyte lineage.

(Fig. 6)  Chumu Beans: a species of blue-black legume reminiscent of a flattened chickpea. Chumu beans taste most similar to black beans. They are a protein-rich pulse crop that can help rejuvenate overworked soil. Like many other bean plants, the stalks from which Chumu beans grow are not sturdy enough to stand on their own. The need to be supported like the poge gourd. The word "chumura" (pronounced "choo-MOO-hra"), literally means "like a chumu-stalk", and is used as a euphemism to describe drunkenness. Heavily inebriated persons will often have an unsteady gait, hence the comparison.

(Fig. 7) Pwele Nuts: a palm-sized fruit with a tough outer shell covered in thorns. The flesh of the fruit expands as it ripens until its internal pressure becomes too great, and its shell bursts open to reveal the lavender meat within. Ripened pwele nuts are unpalatable to humans, so they are often plucked prematurely and roasted in an oven. Their flavor is akin to dry, tangy plum. Being struck by the barbs of an unripe pwele nut can actually be quite painful. Some Mai have been known to use these as nuts as improvised sling bullets. They are too small and fragile to do any lasting harm to anything they hit, but are still useful for deterring large pests and even some predators non-lethally.

(Fig. 8) Kamse Squash: the fruiting bodies of the kamse vine. Kamse squashes have an ivory white rind and dark red meat that tastes mildly sweet and savory. They are typically diced up, or mashed into a thick paste. Kamse-ya-sheshin (pronounced "KAM-say-YAH-shay-SHEEN) is a popular kind of soup enjoyed in the southern reaches of the Three Sisters River Valley that combines diced kamse meat with mushrooms and the leaves of a young sheshin plant to create a light, but surprisingly savory soup. The Kamse squash is a xanthophyte like the poge gourd.

(Fig. 9) Che Grain: a red-brown cereal grain that can be used to bake bread or fermented into spirits. Its straw can be used as fodder, thatching, or woven into various types of garments and baskets. The che plant is also a type of bidafyllid, however, they are much, much smaller than a full grown yo fruit tree. Che is named for the snapping sound it makes when it is ready to be harvested. When the plant becomes fertilized, its ovarian tubules will slowly fill with seeds that distort and push against the walls of the tubule. When the building pressure becomes too great, the tubule snaps in half like an over-stretched rubber band. Wild che seeds will usually go flying off from the force when this happens, however, those cultivated by the Mai have been selected over many generations to prevent this from occurring.

(Fig. 10) Sheshin Plants: The chief textile of the region was produced from the bast fibers of an herbaceous plant the inhabitants called sheshin. The sheshin plant is a distant cousin of the common nettle and yields coarse fibers that can be woven into cloth. The young leaves of this plant are edible, and are a common feature of traditional Mayic cuisine.

(I really quite enjoyed making this drawing. I realize plants may not be the most interesting subject for an illustration, but I think they offer a great opportunity to improve one's command of color. I'm often quite hesitant to color my drawings, as I worry that it might ruin what I have already made so far. Drawings such as these help to push me out of my comfort-zone, and so I like to try my hand at them every once in a while. As of late, I have been experimenting with a signature with which to mark my work. After some thought I have settled on these red characters reading “聪粒” in seal script. I have studied Mandarin Chinese for nearly nine years, and so I thought it might be fitting to use my knowledge to make a unique symbol to represent myself. “聪” comes from the word "聪明“ meaning 'smart' or 'intelligent.' The character “粒” comes from "粒子“ and means "particle" or "granule." Together they form “聪粒” or a "smart particle." I think its kind of clever, but I could also just be a dumbass too. Perhaps both).

Description
This illustration depicts a selections of crops the Mai cultivate for making food, textiles, alcohol, etc. Some of these crops are distant relatives of plants found here on Earth, but others are of non-terrestrial origins. Fig. 4A, Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 all depict either the fruits and/or plants of the kokkinophyte lineage mentioned in another of my pieces. Fig. 5 and Fig. 8 are fruiting bodies grown from a phylum of plants that I have yet to describe in detail. For the time being, I will go ahead and call plants of this type, xanthophytes.

(Fig. 1) Yompu Fruit: a species of tart citrus fruit with a thick and knobby yellow-green rind. Its pulpy flesh is the color of pink coral, and its taste is reminiscent of an especially sour orange. These fruits are also known as yombu, and they are the favored meal of the tree-dwelling Yombudan which dwell in the forests of the Mayic homeland. People afflicted by deforming dermatological conditions are often said to have skin like a yompu fruit, though it may also more generally apply to anyone the speaker might find ugly or unattractive.

(Fig. 2) Honna Bulbs: an evolutionary cousin of terrestrial fennel plants. Their bulbs are smaller and more lozenge-shaped than a typical fennel plant, and its feathery leaves are longer and tinged with shades of violet. Honna bulbs have a flavor like mild licorice mixed with the fragrant qualities of a leek.

(Fig. 3) Laru Root: an earthen root vegetable distantly related to carrots and parsnips.  The preeminent cultivar is about half again as big as the average carrot and often has several branching roots that splay out from the main root body like the digits of a fingered citron (i.e., a buddha's hand fruit).  The taproot is sweet and starchy like a parsnip, and it is typically employed as an aromatic.  The leaves of younger plants are sometimes eaten as well.

(Fig. 4A) Yo Fruit Tree: a species of bidafyllid tree originating from the world of the Lizardfolk. Its fruits grow directly out of it's trunk.  The yo fruit has a taste not unlike fresh honey and its flesh has a consistency similar to a custard apple. Yo fruits may be eaten raw, but they may also be fermented into wine called kude, or yokte.

(Fig. 4B) Yo Fruit Wine: an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of mashed yo-fruits and malt derived from che grain. Kude is generally served after being warmed over a fire. Were someone from Earth to drink, the taste would be somewhat reminiscent of mead, mixed with the flavors of a banana wine.

(Fig. 5) Poge Gourds: A long, leathery gourd shaped like a plump cucumber. The meat of an immature gourd has a mild, nutty flavor most similar to an almond. The mature fruit is tough and bitter, and so it is rarely ever eaten. Nevertheless, ripe gourds can be dried out to make drinking vessels, and their seeds has antiphlogistic properties when mashed up and applied to wounds. Poge gourds grow from vines, and as such need to be supported by a trellis or a tree when farmed. The plant that produces poge gourds is of the xanthophyte lineage.

(Fig. 6)  Chumu Beans: a species of blue-black legume reminiscent of a flattened chickpea. Chumu beans taste most similar to black beans. They are a protein-rich pulse crop that can help rejuvenate overworked soil. Like many other bean plants, the stalks from which Chumu beans grow are not sturdy enough to stand on their own. The need to be supported like the poge gourd. The word "chumura" (pronounced "choo-MOO-hra"), literally means "like a chumu-stalk", and is used as a euphemism to describe drunkenness. Heavily inebriated persons will often have an unsteady gait, hence the comparison.

(Fig. 7) Pwele Nuts: a palm-sized fruit with a tough outer shell covered in thorns. The flesh of the fruit expands as it ripens until its internal pressure becomes too great, and its shell bursts open to reveal the lavender meat within. Ripened pwele nuts are unpalatable to humans, so they are often plucked prematurely and roasted in an oven. Their flavor is akin to dry, tangy plum. Being struck by the barbs of an unripe pwele nut can actually be quite painful. Some Mai have been known to use these as nuts as improvised sling bullets. They are too small and fragile to do any lasting harm to anything they hit, but are still useful for deterring large pests and even some predators non-lethally.

(Fig. 8) Kamse Squash: the fruiting bodies of the kamse vine. Kamse squashes have an ivory white rind and dark red meat that tastes mildly sweet and savory. They are typically diced up, or mashed into a thick paste. Kamse-ya-sheshin (pronounced "KAM-say-YAH-shay-SHEEN) is a popular kind of soup enjoyed in the southern reaches of the Three Sisters River Valley that combines diced kamse meat with mushrooms and the leaves of a young sheshin plant to create a light, but surprisingly savory soup. The Kamse squash is a xanthophyte like the poge gourd.

(Fig. 9) Che Grain: a red-brown cereal grain that can be used to bake bread or fermented into spirits. Its straw can be used as fodder, thatching, or woven into various types of garments and baskets. The che plant is also a type of bidafyllid, however, they are much, much smaller than a full grown yo fruit tree. Che is named for the snapping sound it makes when it is ready to be harvested. When the plant becomes fertilized, its ovarian tubules will slowly fill with seeds that distort and push against the walls of the tubule. When the building pressure becomes too great, the tubule snaps in half like an over-stretched rubber band. Wild che seeds will usually go flying off from the force when this happens, however, those cultivated by the Mai have been selected over many generations to prevent this from occurring.

(Fig. 10) Sheshin Plants: The chief textile of the region was produced from the bast fibers of an herbaceous plant the inhabitants called sheshin. The sheshin plant is a distant cousin of the common nettle and yields coarse fibers that can be woven into cloth. The young leaves of this plant are edible, and are a common feature of traditional Mayic cuisine.

(I really quite enjoyed making this drawing. I realize plants may not be the most interesting subject for an illustration, but I think they offer a great opportunity to improve one's command of color. I'm often quite hesitant to color my drawings, as I worry that it might ruin what I have already made so far. Drawings such as these help to push me out of my comfort-zone, and so I like to try my hand at them every once in a while. As of late, I have been experimenting with a signature with which to mark my work. After some thought I have settled on these red characters reading “聪粒” in seal script. I have studied Mandarin Chinese for nearly nine years, and so I thought it might be fitting to use my knowledge to make a unique symbol to represent myself. “聪” comes from the word "聪明“ meaning 'smart' or 'intelligent.' The character “粒” comes from "粒子“ and means "particle" or "granule." Together they form “聪粒” or a "smart particle." I think its kind of clever, but I could also just be a dumbass too. Perhaps both).