[Dragaera] Solution to a minor botanical-linguistic mystery

[Davdi Silverrock]

Everyone here knows (or ought to know) that the introduction to the
work titled /The Paths of the Dead/ was written by Emma Bull, but was
signed off as being by "Luchia of North Leatherleaf".  Now, the noble
Steven Brust explained "Luchia", as can be seen in the still-inactive
archives, but "Leatherleaf" remained a mystery.

There is, after all, a plant called "leather-leaf", but its
description does not really seem germane to anything Ms Bull may have
done, or to any location that she may have lived in, since the plant's
preferred location is in bogs.

   http://www.georgian.edu/pinebarrens/bi_p_cca.htm

However, a serendipitous browsing of the internet found the following
page, and now things seem to be a bit clearer.

    http://home.hiwaay.net/~oliver/sgmahonia.htm

/Mahonia bealei/ is also called "Leatherleaf", and, as can be seen, it
bears a strong resemblance to holly, with shiny, spiky leaves.  Now, I
understand that Emma did live in or near Hollywood, so the connection
is now clear.

("Hollywood" was actually suggested back when the question first
arose, but since the existence of Leatherleaf Mahonia was not brought
up, this seemed far more tenuous without the knowledge of the
existence of this plant)