Useful as a staple food crop, and also as a cheap source of makeshift weapons, this plant has found its place even on the highly industrial and developed planet of Neplesia, and possibly beyond.

Brassica oleracea var. perfodio​

With the impact of preferential breeding and cultivation, a plant that fairly closely resembles cabbage has been grown to include an extremely dense, woody shoot. They grow best in areas with long, cool growing seasons, and grow to maturity in 100 to 120 days from seed. Harvesting early will make the plant more flavorful for consumption, but the woody shoot will be smaller, and softer. Harvesting later in the cycle, around 120 days or later will produce a longer shoot for use as a weapon, with it reaching a length of about one foot.

It has a taste equivalent to regular cabbage, but it may vary depending on what purpose it is grown for. Harvesting early will make it taste better, but produce a smaller shoot. Harvesting later in the growth cycle produces a much more bitter plant, but a larger 'weapon'.

In addition to its use a food crop, the Stabbage has been used in other ways thanks to its durable heart.

Purpose: Tier 0, Improvised Light Anti-Personnel

After the leafy greens of the plant has been stripped away, a single shoot remains at the heart, smoothly tapering from the base to the tip. The length can vary based on the plant harvested, and the 'business end' of it is usually in the range of 5 to 8 inches. Once separated from the edible portion, the shoot is left to dry, and then optionally sharpened, engraved, stained, and varnished. The woody material has a janka hardness of around 2800-2900, making it an extremely hard wood. The base is thick enough to be grasped as a handle, and services as a makeshift weapon straight from the plant in most cases, although some may prefer to prepare theirs more than others.

Artistic and worked stabbage shivs are an uncommon, but possible, product from street vendors to gift shops.

Raycaster created this article on 2020/05/05 12:13.

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