Myths Around Carnivorous Plants

Recently we looked at some of the best carnivorous plants for indoor gardens. Yes, and if you have not read the article, we can already see those eyebrows lifting. Yes, you saw the movie Little Shop of Horrors with the venus flytrap walking around at night devouring humans.

Well, there are many myths when it comes to flesh-eating plants. But, a fact is that carnivorous plants like the pitcher plant, venus flytraps, and sundews are beautiful plants.

Legend of Man-Eating Plants

Okay, we said there are no human-eating plants, but you find carnivorous plants that catch small creatures from animals to insects, and no, the venus flytrap is not one of them. According to Historic Mysteries, there could have been prehistoric specimens, but today, we look at some of these plants and what discoverers of the indigenous tribes said about them.

How Carnivorous Plants Evolved

Plants produce their food through photosynthesis which involves removing carbon dioxide from the air, water out of the ground, and direct sunlight. Furthermore, plants need minerals filtered from the soil using their roots.

Yet, some plants can thrive in moist places like bogs or swamps. The water in these areas robs them of the minerals needed to survive. So, what is there for them to do? The species needed to find nutrients from other substances, and they evolved into carnivorous plants.

One person very fascinated with insectivores is Charles Darwin, a renowned biologist. He devoted most of his time to studying carnivorous plants like the venus flytrap.

Top 6 Plants That Are Believed to be a Man-eater

Here we look at some carnivorous species believed to be man-eating plants. But are they really into human flesh? Let’s find out!

The Corpse Flower

Amorphophallus titanium is, according to legend, a man-eating flora. While it is one of the largest and most scented plants in the plant kingdom, one look is enough to make you run, not to mention the smell.

The size of this plant will make you think it can devour a human being. When reaching nine feet tall and blooming, these beautiful plants give off a foul odor that smells like a mix of excrement and a rotting corpse.

Now it eats insects as it attracts flesh flies and carrion beetles, and with the digestive enzymes, it traps insects to become its next meal. Another interesting fact is that while it digests prey, it can grow up to 4 inches daily.

Nepenthes or Pitcher Plants

The pitcher plant is one of the largest carnivorous plants discovered. Some of the largest specimens you find in Southeast Asia. The vines alone grow up to 50 feet in length. The monster’s pitchers are a foot long, and some can hold four quarts of liquid.

Pitcher plants digest prey like insects and other living creatures like small frogs-lizards and a rat. A fact is that pitcher plants are not a threat to humans, but we, as humans are a threat to them.

In Asia, the locals have found a method to clean out those pitchers for cooking rice, and the vines are used for making ropes.

The Death Flower

In 1581 during a voyage, Captain Arkwright discovered El Banoor on the South Pacific islet. In the ship log, he made notes of a man-eating plant. He described the plant as a large flower with bright petals that released a sleep-inducing toxin.

It causes the victim to fall asleep on those huge petals. Once it was in the plant’s grip, the flower petals snap shut and devour their victim alive. Hence, the notes advised that Arkwrith must have witnessed this happening, and it is the only known report of meat-eating plants that ate humans.

Madagascar Tree

A terrible ceremony outlined by German explorer Carl Liche in 1878 was on the Madagascar island at a local Mkodo tribe. Carl described that the villagers selected a person to sacrifice to a meat-eating tree. The chosen one was a teenage girl, and the tribe prodded her with implements to climb this tree.

According to Carl, the tree looked like a massive pineapple with hairy tendrils found at the top. Around a pool of liquid, it had a set of tentacles that the girl had to drink. Then, the tree that looked dead came back to sudden savage life.

Then the slender, delicate palpi quivered over her head and suddenly fastened upon her, coiling around her neck and arms. Yet, more awful laughter came, followed by awful screams rising as it strangled her again with the tendrils like a serpent and kept wrapping her, tightening each curl and fastening upon its prey.

With more research, people found it was the first report of the kind, and with further investigation, no one had seen such a tree as the tribe could not be located, and Linche was a fabrication.

Nicaraguan Vampire Vine

In the swamps of Nicaragua, the locals refer to this plant as the Devil’s Snare. According to the locals, the vine looks like a great green serpent with an octopus appearance. The vampire vine became the study for two years of a naturalist Dunstan.

He discovered this carnivorous plant in a swamp near Lake Nicaragua. He was collecting specimens in the region when he heard his dog howl. As he was unsure if it was terror, pain, or a combination of the two, he rushed to his dog.

He noticed his dog in a network of plant roots that was dark in color, looking black. The plant emitted a sticky substance with a horrible odor. He hacked away at the plant, but it was difficult to cut using a knife as, according to Dunstan, it fought back.

He did manage to save his dog, but both he and his pet suffered injuries with the savage tenacity of this plant. His pet was covered in blood, spots puckering, and his hands were blistered.

His dog was also disorientated and could not walk. While not much is known about the plant, the locals feared it and left it alone.

Yate Veo Man-Eating Tree

A rumor is found in Central America that there are vicious plants that eat meat. The tree has long spikes that impale the victim and do not discriminate. According to legend, the spikes remain out of sight until pressure is on them.

Once the tree clutches its spikes, it is too late for the victim. The savage plant sucks up all the blood, and once done, it re-sets to enjoy another meal.

Final Thought

As you can see, most carnivorous plants trap insects and not people. Still, one never knows if other carnivorous plants will still be uncovered in remote forests lurking deep away from humanity, forming new species.

So, if you have a venus flytrap or have other carnivorous plants, you will only find that an insect struggles to get out of the modified leaves that hold digestive enzymes. Hence, your plants are not starved serpents or meat eaters that create pitfall traps for you.

Neither is there demoniac intelligence fastened to these plants in the world and no gurgling moan so you can feel rest assured you are perfectly safe with your carnivorous plant that receives its nutrients enjoying insects to small prey.