Sinamu

Etymology
The original name “Sin Namu” literally meant “God Tree”. It gives a hint to its importance in their culture.

  Physical Characteristics
The tree sprouts many trunks from the same vast network of roots. These can reach over a kilometer in diameter.

Each trunk can grow to a height of thirty meters, and a diameter three meters. The greyish blue bark is smooth and leathery, and the leaves are bright blue green and appear as an elongated heart. They are quite large, ten to fifteen centimeters in length, and seven or eight in width.

The fruit is an elongated bell shape filled with a hundreds of tinny seeds, four to five millimeters, and a spongy mass of flesh. They are very high in sugar, vitamins, and copper.

In Culture and Use
Cheosai have made the trees the cornerstone of their culture and way of life.

They find shelter among its branches, shaping the living wood itself into dwellings, incorporating glass, other wood and even stone.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Its fruit, and seeds, are a dietary staple. They are eaten fresh, dried, and made into wine.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The leaves are often used in the making very fine paper. This is used by many races for their holy text and other important documents. It is one of the cheosai’s prime exports.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Its roots enrich the soil, making it suitable for farming.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Most importantly it is the secret to the material noghim. This is a resin that when properly treated can be shaped into items with the strength of steel.