Hortaq is a thick and strong grass native to Skiel, and the stalk of which is used heavily in suracke construction. It routinely grows to heights of three or four meters and often has an extensive root system that in extremes can cover over a hundred square meters. The plant evolved to survive in the arid environment of inland Jorkatt and can store a great deal of water in the bulbous growths in its roots. The growths acted as an emergency water source for the early suracke in times of drought, and are now a staple of suracke cuisine. The stalk of the plant has no foliage per se, but is covered in a large number of small, thick, deltoid protrusions with a high density of photosynthetic cells.
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