#fruitingplants
Though the Plaguelands’ native flora has started to regrow in thanks to the combined efforts of the Cenarion Circle and the Argent Crusade, much of the region’s wildlife still suffers from the plague’s influence today [Quest: Zen’kiki, the Druid,Quest: Postponing the Inevitable]. The Plaguewood, located just outside Stratholme, is home to all sorts of blighted vegetation, including a bright red fruit inauspiciously known as the rotberry. While many species of wild berries found on Azeroth are edible, it is probably safe to assume that rotberries are not fit for human consumption [Item: Rotberry].
A Forsaken apothecary once experimented with rotberries – among several other reagents – in search of a counter-plague agent, though it is unclear if he ever succeeded [Quest: Counter-Plague Research].
Contrary to popular belief, most wild berries native to Azeroth are perfectly safe to eat. The frostberry bush that grows in Coldarra, for example, produces an edible fruit that Kirin Tor mages in the area harvested for sustenance when their own food stores were depleted during the Nexus War [Quest: Nuts for Berries,Item: Frostberries]. In addition to eating the frostberries raw, the mages also sometimes pressed them into juice [Item: Frostberry Juice].
The bloodberry bush is a wild plant that grows all over Azeroth. Although it is usually considered something of a nuisance wherever it sprouts, the bush’s berries are coveted by both chefs and alchemists [Quest: Open for Business]. Most commonly, chefs use bloodberries as a key ingredient in some culinary delicacies, the most famous of which is the bloodberry tart [Item: Bloodberry Tart, World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook, pg. 149]. Alchemists, however, like to use bloodberries – specifically, a unique type of bloodberry native to the Isle of Quel’Danas – for another reason. When exposed to the energies of the Sunwell, the plant develops special properties that can then be distilled and made into an elixir that magnifies one’s abilities [Quest: Open for Business,Item: Bloodberry Elixir].
The Kafa’kota bush only grows in high elevations on Kota Peak in Kun-Lai summit, making it a rare and rather expensive plant [Quest: Gourmet Kafa, Quest: Kota Blend]. The local grummles make a living by harvesting seeds from the berries that grow on Kafa’kota bushes and distilling them into an addictive drink popularly known as Kafa’kota Blend – or Kafa for short [Quest: Kota Blend, Quest: Trouble Brewing]. After the grummles cut the seeds out of the berries, they roast them, ground them, and then brew them in pure water to make the final product [NPC: Uncle Keenbean Dialogue]. The grummles also sometimes make special Kafa blends using Kafa’kota seeds that have passed through the digestive systems of the mountain’s native wildlife [Quest: Gourmet Kafa].
Kafa’kota berries are edible and can be eaten on their own [Page: Kafa’kota Berry]. Those who ingest them are typically prone to sudden bursts of activity followed by a period of intense lethargy, although additional side effects include moodiness and crankiness [Buff: Kafa-Crazy, Buff: Kafa Rush, Buff: Kafa Crash, Quest: Trouble Brewing]. Despite Kafa’s many drawbacks, however, it is an ideal drink for when one wishes to sober up [Item: Keenbean Kafa, Item: Kafa Press, Item: Cup of Kafa].
