Ironoke

Ironoke is a large variety of virid tree found and cultivated throughout Anásthiasplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnásthias

Anásthias [a-NAS-thee-ass / ænæsθiːæs], or [an-ass-THEE-as] is an equatorial island continent, heart of the Civilised World. The north straddles the equator and is hot and humid, while most of the equatorial centre is an upland plateau with fertile river valleys, and stretches of arid plains and desert in the shadow of the mountains. The south is temperate but more wild, separated from the civilisations of the north by the almost impassable Harthera. They grow slowly but to an enormous size, with a large canopy and characteristic dark brown bole.

Ironoke produce the hardest known wood, which evolved to be resistant to fire and viridplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigVirid

Referring to the Virid Kingdom of flora and fauna, toxic to human life. pests. Its wood is a very dark brown or black, with veins and nodules of deep red.

Botanically they are part of a primaeval and largely extinct family of virid plants, the ferrevirs, who excrete iron oxide as a biproduct of photosynthesis. Rather than passing into the soil where it would become toxic to the roots, the spare iron is used to built cell walls. This produces a hard red-black wood which is strong, resistant to pests and almost entirely fire resistant.

Ironoke is a premium construction material, used in houses, furniture and particularly shipping, since it is strong and resistant to both decay and pests like screw-worms and borers. Ironoke is difficult to cultivate because the trees are slow growing, taking up to 400 years to grow to full size. They also require wide spacing to grow to a large size, with younger trees being felled to provide more space as a plantation matures.

The Hartheran Navy maintains the largest ironoke plantations in the world, specifically for ship building.