I was sitting in my thinking spot yesterday, otherwise known as the Steps of Death to regular readers, and watching the Venus Fly Trap. You might remember that I moved some of my carnivorous plants out to the front verandah to feast on the wasps. Well, Flytrap has been having a high old time and many stripy stingers have fallen victim to its enticing jaws.
Watching it got me thinking, surely there must be articles about man-eating plants.
The Horsham Times 6 May 1892 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72853601
A search threw up this article about Devils Snare, a terrifying plant described by the naturalist Mr Dunstan as a kind of vegetable octopus. You might also know Devil’s Snare as a plant from the Harry Potter novels, I think both plants came from the same place….
What a great story. There was Mr Dunstan, out for a walk with his dog when he was attacked by a man-eating plant. He was walking in the jungles of Central America though, and in 1892 there would be no better setting in the world for a story like this. I wonder if the plant preferred human or dog?
This story is just wonderful. The details of the plant make it sound so menacing; bare interlacing stems of a dark nearly black hue, oozing with a thick viscid gum. Ick.
The twigs were like grabby tentacles, lined with little mouths or suckers that left skin red and blistered on contact. Ouch.
Even better, the last part of the article. Imagine a plant that has the presence of mind to grasp a piece of bloody meat and, once it sated its thirst, toss the drained flesh aside like yesterday’s sushi.
I just wish I had one of them on the steps of death. None of those annoying door-knockers would make it past ever again!
Buried words and Bushwa. 
I’m torn 😦 Is this a case of ‘don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers’ or did this guy really stumble upon such a plant? Given that science is still discovering new species over one hundred years on from this article could this plant be… real?
The only thing feeding my skepticism is that the article appeared in the Horsham times. No offence to country folk but… I just can’t see your average cockie having much scientific knowledge back then…
I think that back in 1892 Nicaragua was sufficiently mysterious and remote from the rest of the world for people to believe anything could be living there. I always read these type of articles with the same pinch of salt I look at amazing youtube clips with. I so want them to be real, but…….
Anything is possible though, I have a Wollemi Pine in my garden, a plant that originated millions of years ago and was only rediscovered in 1994.
Most of the articles in old small town papers are reproduced directly from the city newspapers, which have in turn been taken from overseas newspapers/dispatches. Sometimes the article I use in my post is the one that is the one with the sharpest print as I have a few identical ones to choose from.
That said, I still want a Devil’s Snare for my steps!
lol – if I find one it’s all yours :p Knowing my pets they’d try to cuddle it and then instant fur rugs. I’ll just save my compost for unwelcome visitors 😀
I can imagine coming home from work and finding unexpected items on the front steps… a census takers clipboard… bibles… charity tins…. halloween costumes….
rofl – that wicked streak is coming out again! Let it free girl let it free!
When on the road I often see a Warning ‘Heavy Plant Crossing’ which always used to put me in mind of Triffids but now I know what it really refers too……………. If I catch one walking across the road I’ll have it delivered to your steps immediately.
Hugs
😀 Please give me a bit of warning so I have a chance to stock up on sufficiently drippy morsels, especially if it is one of the overfed sounding ‘Heavy Plants’.
I could always plant it out in the veg garden though, next time that cursed rabbit comes around looking for a juicy tomato it will get a nasty shock…..
There’s a lot more about these things in old and newer books, giving the location as Madagascar, New Guinee, and other exotic places. Try googling ‘man eating tree Madagaskar’ and you’ll find an illustration.
When you write me your email adress, I can send you more on this and other subjects, if you like.
Bye, Loes
I love those old woodcuts of the man eating tree in Madagascar. It looks a little like a large octopus buried head down in the ground!
Imagine how mysterious these places were to the average person all those years ago, it doesn’t surprise me that these stories of cryptid plants were so popular. 🙂