Man Eating Plants

I am not talking about vegetarians, I am about to tell you 5 tales of horror and blood thirsty monsters. In many parts of the globe explorers have returned claiming to encountered trees and large plants that devour the flesh of the living. One of these is the Madagascar Tree. Dr. Carle Liche claimed to have seen this tree in person back in 1878. He told his story to a local newspaper claiming that the natives would sacrifice humans to the tree. He was actually invited to witness this ritual. The tree was only ten feet tall, with eight leaves each ten to twelve feet long strewn with venomous looking thorns. From underneath grew a half dozen frail looking stamen. The stamen would coil themselves around the victim's head and shoulders the the green branches would coil around like snakes. The leaves would then rise slowly and close around the victim and a pinkish fluid would flow from the tree which the natives would fight over to drink.

Others have been documented by newspapers as well such as the Snake Tree of the Sierrea Madre, in Mexico. The tree is described as to have slimy sensitive branches and a snake like appearance. Should any animal perch itself on the tree it would seized by the tree and lost to sight till the tree opens up again dropping it's bones to the ground. One man claims he touched the tree and it grabbed hold with such force it tore his skin when he pried himself free. He then fed a chicken to the tree which absorbed it's blood with suckers on it's branches.

Another bazaar tail is of the Flesh Eating Vine. A man by the name of Mr Duncan was in the swamps of Nicaragua when herd his dog cry out. He found the dog caught up in a mass of vines from a tree like that of the branches of weeping willow. Mr. Duncan attempted to free the dog but the vines grabbed hold of his hand and it took great force to free himself. The tree left his skin red and blistered and he was unable to free his dog. The tree is well known by the natives who tell stories of it's voracious apatite.

One of my personal favorite is the death flower. Captain Arkright in 1581 learned of an island in the South Pacific that one should never visit for it was home to the death flower, hence the name of the island, El Banoor, or Island of Death. The flower is so large that a man can enter it like a small cave but if he did it would be the last thing he would ever do. Lulled by the strange fragrance men wonder inside the plant and lay on it's lower petals for a nap but it soon becomes his last. The flower would close up and fill with burning acid and digest it's victim alive.

Lastly the tale of the Monkey Trap Tree. Brazilian explorer Mariano da Silva had returned from an expedition from the border of Brazil and Guyana. There he sought out the Yatapu Indians. During his journey he saw a tree that would eat small animals. The tree would extrude a sharp odor which would attract it's victims mainly monkeys, hence the name Monkey Trap Tree. As soon as the animal climbs the trunk of the tree they are cloed in by the leaves of the tree. After about 3 days the leaves would open again dropping the bones to the ground and would wait for it's next meal.

Though scientist say there are no such trees as the following, and it must be true because unlike other urban legends trees are incapable of running and hiding so if they were real everyone would know about it, but if they aren't real where did the stories come from? Over active imaginations from bored explorers hoping to become famous? Most likely yes, but whatever the case they are interesting stories and makes you wonder, is there anywhere in the world that no man has seen where a tree or other large plant is capable of eating a human being or other large animals?

Note the story you just read is in my own words, names, places, and events are from a book, Carnivorous Plants by Randall Schwartz, any documentation in the story has been paraphrased to keep the post shorter, I hope you enjoyed.

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