A Guide To American Wandlore

Mountain Hemlock

Tsuga mertensiana, known as mountain hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Tulare County, California. Mertensiana refers to Karl Heinrich Mertens, a German botanist who collected the first specimens as a member of a Russian expedition in 1826-1829.

Mountain hemlock wands are quirky and sensitive, and require an owner who goes to their own beat. They are heavily prized in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. In youth, their owners may have been labelled as cry babies, but the truth is that they have overwhelming empathy for others. With this, they have incredible imaginations and inner-worlds– but it is difficult for them to express these to other people. This can cause them to be frustrated at communicating with other people, and cut themselves off from others, in order to feel 'safe.' In maturity, with practice and patience with themselves, they can become excellent communicators and are often the ideas person when in groups or teams. Though sensitive, they have an inner-strength and stubbornness that comes with the idea that these people feel they must live their life true to their inner-worlds and self. Even when born into less than ideal situations, they tend to rise above it by receding into themselves– blocking out negativity (which can create bad habits like avoiding problems or becoming willingly oblivious but can be quite useful when they are young and don't have other viable options).

Though this wand has great power, it does not like to demonstrate that power in a showy or ostentatious manner. Instead, it prefers subtlety and less obvious magics. The motto of this wand and its owner is to accomplish tasks with as little fuss or energy as possible, saving it in case of emergencies. This can cause some people to believe that the owner is being deceptive– that they desire to appear weaker than they actually are. Well, there's some truth to that. The owner is capable of great deception when they deem it necessary (knowing very well how to play dumb or play off the stereotype of them having their head stuck in the clouds), and some may find it valuable to keep the magnitude and range of their magic hidden(most of the time it's conscious, as they are pretty self-aware people....most of the time).

This wand excels at non-verbal magic, healing, and wood-centered magics. In healing magic, their specialty is often with burns and burn victims– able to make top-tier salves, liniments, and ointments. There is talent with the following subjects: herbology, transfiguration, charms, care of magical creatures, and potions. There is an affinity for ships and travel– many acacia wand owners have become expert voyagers, explorers, and cartographers.

Black, emerald, and rich brown branches of magic shoots out of this wand during spellwork. Its magic smells of honey and jasmine with a hint of bergamot and orange blossom. Though this wand is picky about its owners, it is not as picky about its core. It bonds well with cores of any elemental disposition, and the core greatly affects the specialties of the wand overall and can make the wand even more selective when it comes to its potential owner (as the personality is narrowed down even further). There is an issue with stamina, as the wand can be easily tasked by showy magics, and the owner can be overstimulated by the attention of others. If the wand becomes finicky, it is recommended to place it in a cool dark space for at least half an hour before its next use.