The Facts and Fiction of Man-eating Plants

They've been a staple of horror for centuries. Man-eating plants. The silent member of a league that includes vampires, Frankenstein, and werewolves. Man-eating plants have permeated books, news, television, and film. And why shouldn't they? From the ten year old with his “pet Venus Fly Trap” to native tribes wearily moving through unfamiliar jungle, man-eating plants are a primal curiosity and fear. They may lack a spokesman the way vampires have Dracula, but man-eating plants are certainly here to stay.

Madagascar Man-Eating Tree

The Strange Orchid

In H.G. Wells’ short-story “The Flowering of the Strange Orchid ”, a man named Winter Wedderburn laments that nothing has ever really happened to him. The world is dull and hardly his oyster. To pass the time, he tends to his green house and grows orchids. Attending an Orchid sale, Wedderburn returns with several great finds, including an orchid rumored to have been taken off the corpse of the man who acquired it in the wild. As the strange orchid grows, Wedderburn beams with pride at its beautifully. His housekeeper, however, finds the plant creepy and almost... predatory. The day finally comes that the flower blooms. Wedderburn’s housekeeper arrives an hour later to find Wedderburn passed out, and the orchid rooted into his veins with its strong, green tendrils. The housekeeper barely saves him, but Wedderburn is still thrilled to have finally had an adventure.

Venus Fly Trap

Plants are green-leafed, inanimate, boring organisms that feed only on sunlight, soil, and water. Right? By that definition then, the Venus Fly Trap isn’t even a plant. Perhaps it’s some sort of alien creature? (And when you see the one small area where they can be found in the wild, it’s obvious how those crazy “falling meteor” rumors started.) The Venus Fly Trap, even when motionless, looks exotic. Each of its leaves ends in what appears to be a mouth, and the coincidental red coloring on its palate enforces the image. And this isn’t just any mouth. The Venus Fly Trap’s maw appears to be a highly-specialized, carnivorous mouth designed for nothing other than consuming flesh. But beyond this, the Venus Fly Trap has one other special characteristic. It moves. Fast. When the Venus Fly Trap detects repeated movement, its jaw snaps shut in less than a second. Once its meal has been digested, the jaw reopens, ready to start anew. There is little wonder why the Venus Fly Trap is possibly the most common plant actually kept as a “pet”.

Audrey Jr. or Audrey 2

Probably the most famous man-eating plants of all time, Audrey Jr./2 (the names “Audrey Jr.” and “Audrey 2” have both been used) has starred in two Hollywood films, a Broadway musical, and even a children’s cartoon. Audrey Jr. made its first appearance in the Roger Corman 1960’s B-movie “Little Shop of Horrors ”. The film reached cult status, which would lead to its various remakes. The plant’s origin has ranged all over, from a Venus Fly Trap/Butterwort hybrid to an invader from outer space.

The Thing

In 1938 the science fiction novella “Who Goes There?” was published. It is to this day considered to be one of the greatest science fiction stories of all time. Two movie adaptations have been made (one in 1951 and another in 1982) with a third adaptation on the way. The 1982 version, as can be expected, is much more violent and chilling than its 1950’s counterpart. Surprisingly though, it is the 1982 version with all of its gore that more closely follows the 1938 source material. In the original short-story and 1982 film, “The Thing” itself is a shape-shifting alien. In the 1951 version however, “The Thing” is a highly advanced humanoid plant. Strange “thing” indeed.

Pitcher Plants

While Venus Fly Traps may be the most famous carnivorous plant, pitcher plants are by far the most common. Unlike many other carnivorous plants, which are found in very specific areas, Pitcher Plants can be found throughout the world. But robustness is not what merits the Pitch Plant’s place on this list. Out of all carnivorous plants, Nepenthes, or “Tropical Pitcher Plants”, are the only ones capable of consuming mammals. The Nepenthes rajah and the Nepenthes rafflesiana are both known to occasionally consume vertebrate. Pitcher plants catch their prey with “pitcher shaped” leaves filled with water that creatures fall into and drown. The traps of the Nepenthes rajah and rafflesiana are so large that drowned rats, frogs, lizards, and even birds have been found within them. The only thing keeping these plants from being man-eaters are size and leaves that humans could tear through.

Triffids

From the novel and movie “The Day of the Triffids ”, Triffids are a species of highly venomous, fully mobile, carnivorous plants with an at least basic intelligence. The origin of the plants is never set in stone, but it is strongly suggested that they are the result of experiments within the Soviet Union. Triffids remain rooted when at rest, but are completely capable of uprooting themselves and “walking”. In the novel, after their discovery, Triffids are cultivated as a commercial crop. Veritibly harmless, the tables are turned, however, when the majority of human race is rendered blind by a high-altitude weapons misfire.

Corpse Flowers

Whether it be on the stage, in our garden, or even just in our minds, man-eating plants will always be a fixture within our culture’s lore. For who knows what science may wrought?