Flora of Pern

Pern had a wide variety of plant life; but, when the colonists came, they also brought their own food. Following is a list of the variety of plants found on Pern. It should be noted that, since most of the native plants grew bigger, they were more useful on the Southern Continent.

Native Plantlife

• Fellis trees grew on both the Northern and Southern Continents. A special juice, which was used as a soporific drug, could be made from fellis trees.
• Ging trees grew near Ista and could be used as improvised forest bedding. Moreta described the ging forest in the fall as «a green face with a thousand black-rimmed eyes.» The fronds made handy needlethorn packages, as the sap from the cut edges of leaves formed its own glue. Leaf sap would also seal puncture wounds. Needlethorn was always found in the presence of ging trees.
• Klah trees were an important part of the pernese lifestyle. The bark of the klah tree could be ground to make a drink, described by the EEC team as tasting a bit like coffee with an aftertaste of chocolate.
• Needlethorns were bushes that, as their name suggests, had sharp thorns. The thorns were used as hypodermic needles in medicine. Needlethorns grew in lush, tropical rainforests.
• Numbweed was a bush that grew in large clumps. The plant was used to make a gel (also referred to as numbweed) that deadened the pain of small wounds completely and dulled large wounds. The downside was that it took three days to make numbweed, which was a very smelly process. Numbweed trees could be found on both the Northern and Southern Continents, but, as with most Pernese plants, grew to a much larger size in the south.
• The Redfruit tree bore a delicious red fruit which was good for quenching thirst. Since it preferred a tropical climate, it could be found in abundance on the Southern Continent. On the Northern Continent, it was limited to the few tropical regions, such as Nerat.
• Sticklebush was a fruit-bearing plant that had sharp, hairlike thorns, which were difficult to see in the spring while the sap was rising. The sap could harm humans. Berries were harvested in the Autumn and made into jam.
• The Skybroom tree had a very dense wood, was difficult to work with and was used by Hall Domaize as a high end board. Full branches could support the weight of free-standing Holds.
• Withies were an aquatic reed found in rivers, on the coastline near Half-Circle Sea Hold and on both Northern Continent and Southern Continent.
• The Broom tree, which was found on the Far Western Continent and Western Isle, was very strong and looked like upside-down brooms with prickly leaves and interwoven branches. Sky Dragons
• The Moonflower was found in Nerat and on the Southern Continent.

Imported Plantlife

• Arnica was used medicinally.
• The Ash tree was imported to Pern and was found on hills and in mountainous regions. The bark was used medicinally as a diuretic and febrifuge.
• Garlic first made its appearance on Pern in the novel Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern and was referenced in Dragonheart.
• Grapes, which formed the basis of the famous Benden wines, were found growing wild on the Far Western Continent. Sky Dragons
• Hazel - or witch hazel - was a large shrub with smooth brown bark, fragrant winter flowers and woodsy fruit capsules. A distillation from the leaves and flower-bearing twigs was used in skin products for its disinfectant and astringent properties. It was used on chapped and sunburned skin, bruises, swelling, rashes, to stop bleeding and to reduce varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Its seeds were edible and could be brewed for a warming tea.
• Onion
• Coconut aka Nut Fruit
• Flax
• Cotton - the last crop from Landing was used during the First Pass. The Ford of Red Hanrahan
• Blueberries were used in Bubbly Pies.

Unknown if Native or Imported Plant Life

• Oilbrush - pockets of bread were cooked on metal sheets over an oilbrush fire.