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Bota

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this plant, embodying characteristics of both fungus and mold, was believed to have been native only to the swampworld of Drongar. Like several other fungus found on Drongar, bota was highly adaptogenic, changing its chemical makeup to adapt to different environmental situations. This ability also made processed bota the virtually perfect wonder-drug, since it could be used in a variety of treatment without side effects. In humans, it was a potent antibiotic. In Neimoidians, is acted as a narcotic painkiller. To Hutts and many other races, it was a stimulant that was safer and more powerful than glitterstim. The only drawback to the mass-production of bota was that its shelflife, once harvested and freeze-dried, was no more than a few days before it degenerated into a slimy ooze. This problem was eventually overcome by Filba the Hutt, who discovered that bota could be successfully transported for weeks if it was frozen in carbonite. Because of the bota, Drongar became a major battlefield during the Clone Wars, as both the Old Republic and the Separatists fought to control the fields in which it grew. The average bota plant was distinguished by a fruity body that grew low to the ground. The majority of the plant existed beneath the surface, obtaining moisture and nutrients from the soil. As the battle for control of Drongar raged on, the planet itself continued its own mutagenic evolution. It was discovered that, within just a few months, the bota plant would mutate away from its current state, and be rendered useless as a medicinal drug. News of this mutation reached the Separatists first, and their forces abandoned their tactics and launched an all-out war against the Republic's forces. It was just before the final battle that Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee discovered that bota seemed to heighten her ability to contact the Force, allowing her to tap deeply into its power. The strength of her bota-enhanced contact with the Force reached all the way to Coruscant, where it was felt by Master Yoda. However, with the mutation of the bota, the Jedi Order was unable to investigate its abilities any further. In the wake of the Battle of Drongar, the Separatists acquired a good quantity of the surviving bota.