I'm trying to find a canonical list of flora, specifically flowering plants but I can weed through a list for that detail, that is used in the Forgotten Realms setting, that also has descriptions of their appearance.

Thus far I've found this pretty cool site; however, for all of the information it provides from various settings, it doesn't describe what the plants actually look like. And Candlekeep's forum is an absolute nightmare to search through.

I have this vague recollection of there being actual information about flowers, trees, and whatnot from the older editions, but I can't remember where I saw it. Maybe one of the Volo's Guides, though so far I haven't found what I'm looking for.

So, I'm hoping to tap into the roots of the community and ask for help in finding a descriptive list of Realmsian plants. Who knows, maybe one of you has been looking into something like this recently and you just so happen to know a source.

I know there's some overlap between real world and fictional plants, and I'm primarily interested in the ones specific to Toril and what they actually look like. Secondly, what the alternate, fictional name might be for real world plants imported into the setting.

In my searching for herbalism-related sources, I've been finding a few references to a source which I don't presently have, called Elminster's Ecologies. It seems to be referred to as having a section on herbalism or botany or something. I have no idea what might be there, but if you get access to a copy, let me know, since I'm more than a little curious about it myself.

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I haven't heard about that source before. I'll see if I can dig it up.

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Man, at that point it is almost easier just to make up what they look like.

Like, Thistlereed looks like a cat-tail, is usually brown to peach in color, and tastes like dog food.
Or, Whore's Beard looks like a dwarf in drag who does a terrible job with make-up, and tastes like applesauce.

I could do that, and I will if I can't find anything else - but I much rather use what the setting provides, if it indeed provides it at all. That way when I use the name of a particular flower that might have a certain appearance and lore attached to it, it can be used to evoke a certain theme amongst other people who have looked into it, or bother to ask. Connotations are my favorite, but mainly when they can be shared through setting lore.

It honestly shouldn't be that difficult, I just have to find the source. Probably a 2nd Ed one. Volo's Guide has exactly the kind of list I want, for gemstones, metals, and trees. It describes what they look like, how they might be used mundanely or magically, and any folklore about them. Now I just need that, but for plants other than trees.