It is the domestication of Oddish, more than any other plant, which marks the difference between a hunter-gatherer society and an agricultural one. The body is edible, but seldom eaten, as doing so kills the pokemon and it is uneconomical to do so when they could continue to grow leaves. The leaves, on the other hand, are rich in nutrients and the staple of many agrarian people's diets. Once cut off, they grow back in about a year. Typically, they are harvested every fall.
The most challenging part is to keep the Oddish from running off or rebelling, for pruning is an unpleasant and unwanted experience for the pokemon. Greenhouses are expensive and were impossible to build before the discovery of glass, and although soil can be potted, leaving them indoors reduces the amount of solar energy they receive to unhealthy levels. Traditionally walls were used, high enough to prevent them from escaping, but through methods like stacking each other, vine whip chains, and using sleep powder or stun spore on the farmer, massive breakaways were common, although the majority of Oddish harvests were successful.
The first governments were created as much for the need to round up escaped Oddish as the need to control flood plains.
