Man Eating Trees

Man Eating Trees

This isn't the kind of plant that you can go out and buy at your local garden centre to give to your friends (or enemies) so its not surprising if you haven't seen one, and if you do find one then I wouldn't advise taking a closer look. As no proof has been found to confirm their existence, its not surprising that people have dismissed the idea as unrealistic and insane. However people have claimed to have seen these terrifying plants in action, one such person was German explorer, Carle Liche when visiting Madagascar in 1878. Liche claimed to have witnessed locals sacrifice a women to the tree, which he described as; similar to a pineapple, only 8 feet tall with 8 leaves hanging from its apex, which were each about 11-12 feet long. (From here on I don't really understand the description given) "A clear treacly liquid with high intoxicating properties trickled into a pair of concave plates arranged one inside the other. These comprised the apex of the tree, and from beneath the rim of the bottom plate a series of hairy green 2.5 metre(8 foot) long tendrils stretched out in every direction. Above these, six extremely thin tentacle-like feelers, each over 1.5 metres (5-6 feet) long and white in colour, reared up to the sky, twisting and twirling incessantly like sinister serpents". The women was forced to climb up the trees trunk, once at the apex she drunk the viscous fluid. When she tried to jump down the feelers of the tree sprang to life and grabbed her head, the 8 leaves slowly rose up until she was consumed, a trickle of the plants fluids and blood ran down the plant. 10 days later the plants leaves resumed their normal position, leaving a human skull at its base. Stories of other different types of man-eating plants are also told, weather they are true is still to be decided.

source site: http://www.mysteries.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/5.htm#Man_Eating_Trees

Just plain...weird...why are they called 'man' eating when it was a woman who was 'sacrificed' to it?? Oh yeah, I'm sure this woman got up that day and thought 'Hell yes, it is my turn to be eaten by the tree today!'

MUAAAAHAAAHAHAHA!! Exactly Night

I wonder how it would feel to be devoured by a tree?

Goth_Ink wrote:

Just plain...weird...why are they called 'man' eating when it was a woman who was 'sacrificed' to it?? Oh yeah, I'm sure this woman got up that day and thought 'Hell yes, it is my turn to be eaten by the tree today!'

The term 'man' in this case refers to humanity...which is how are race has been referred to since the don of egoistical inbreed morons. The ones that believed themselves superior to the woman that carried them and bore them, and then their children. A job I certanly wouldn't want!


Not going for brownie points here with the ladies...that is how I see it.

As for man eating plants...Lets not forget about the 'Venus flytrap' a.k.a. 'Dionaea muscipula'. a much smaller , but in no way different in habit than the plant you describe. It consist of two plates, that are opened between feedings, that have fine hairs/triggers along the interior. It secretes a liquid that its prey find delicious. When the prey enters the plates to drink the triggers are tripped and the plates slam shut. On the exterior of the plates are a line of 'long tendrils ' that interlock when the plates slam shut, locking the prey in.

So if history has taught us nothing else, it has taught us that plants and animals started off huge and have gotten smaller do to lack of resources or encroaching environments. There for why not an 8 foot hold over version in some remote jungle?

Brownie points for Humeran!

Night Star wrote:

Brownie points for Humeran!

Not lookin for em...but I'll take em!

What next? I see Wikipedia has a page on them, with a nice picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-eating_tree

Blue Water wrote:

What next? I see Wikipedia has a page on them, with a nice picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-eating_tree

I see that a section of that wikipedia page attempts to not only discredit the existence of the plant, but the existence of the man himself...odd

From wikipedia; In his 1955 book, Salamanders and other Wonders, science author Willy Ley determined that the Mkodo tribe, Carle Liche, and the Madagascar man-eating tree itself all appeared to be fabrications.

An Encyclopedic site that can be edited by anyone at any time, can not be holly trusted.

Who is this Willy Ley and how does he know that he is not the fabrication?

Hell yes, I do a bit of editing on Wikipedia myself. I find a number of New Age or ‘speculative’ subjects to be slanted and so I'll edit them to show both sides. Sometimes my changes are changed back, though. They have a page on Indigo Children for example, and it was slanted to make the whole thing sound as if it had no basis. I did some minor editing to un-slant some of the slanted wording on that page. The only link was for a site which criticizes the subject, which I found strange. So added a link to a popular Indigo website for believers in the subject which the page was about. But then I noticed that the link I had posted had been removed, to I re-added it. That reminds me, I should check back there. Might sound petty but millions of people look through Wikipedia, and many people do think it's a professional site. So I try to do my part to assist certain New Age articles, to keep them looking at both sides. I don't know who keeps undoing my edits or why, but it is annoying. As long as an article is articulate, gives credible sources to back up its statements, and shows both sides of any debate within the subject, there shouldn't be a problem.

If you know information you could add to this subject, Humaren, it's easy to join and edit a page.

Blue Water wrote:

Hell yes, I do a bit of editing on Wikipedia myself. I find a number of New Age or ‘speculative’ subjects to be slanted and so I'll edit them to show both sides. Sometimes my changes are changed back, though. They have a page on Indigo Children for example, and it was slanted to make the whole thing sound as if it had no basis. I did some minor editing to un-slant some of the slanted wording on that page. The only link was for a site which criticizes the subject, which I found strange. So added a link to a popular Indigo website for believers in the subject which the page was about. But then I noticed that the link I had posted had been removed, to I re-added it. That reminds me, I should check back there. Might sound petty but millions of people look through Wikipedia, and many people do think it's a professional site. So I try to do my part to assist certain New Age articles, to keep them looking at both sides. I don't know who keeps undoing my edits or why, but it is annoying. As long as an article is articulate, gives credible sources to back up its statements, and shows both sides of any debate within the subject, there shouldn't be a problem.

If you know information you could add to this subject, Humaren, it's easy to join and edit a page.

Maybe the one deleting your additions had some sort of bad personal experience related to the topic, and is abusing the site for his/her on purpose.

I'll have to give that editing bit a bit of consideration. Often times I have found dubious info that I felt should be corrected. I’ve always just lacked the time.

Ah, that's understandable. I don't edit there much. I spend maybe a half hour there each week. But when I'm working full time I don't find the time either.

This by far is the strangest one I have heard yet! However, I must agree with Humeran regarding the Venus fly trap. I had a room mate years ago who had 2 that she kept in an aquarium. They both got so large that she started feeding them raw hamburger and with a spoon because they would bite her fingers. Had I not witnessed how much they grew and the first time they went after her finger, I probably would have dismissed the idea. But BOY!

So, a few years back, I bought one for our house because here in Greece, it seems like mosquitos just NEVER leave, no matter what time of the year. And yup, always found mosquitos and fruit flies in the "mouth" of the VFT. It grew and I gave it wee bits of hamburger too. It finally died, maybe it ate mad cow. lol. But the memory of my room mates 2 cannibals, was quite a thing to grasp.

The older I get, the more I realize, there is so much more in the world that most of us can't even fathom. A creepy story, none the less! Shiver.

Oh yes, I believe there are many cases of truth being stranger than fiction, and although I might have joked about this tree, I don't doubt there are carnivorous plants beyond the Venus Fly Trap and other smaller known species.

It is one of the weirder ones I have come across too. Sorry Humaren if you took my questions seriously re: why it ate men and not women. I understand that it was a generalization - and possibly a cultural aspect of the rite being performed determined which sex was sacrificed to the plant.

Can't say I rely on Wiki because of that 'anyone can edit' aspect. University refuses to acknowledge it as a reliable or academic source as well. I have come across interesting info there, but always like to research deeper from other sources.

Goth_Ink wrote:

It is one of the weirder ones I have come across too. Sorry Humaren if you took my questions seriously re: why it ate men and not women. I understand that it was a generalization - and possibly a cultural aspect of the rite being performed determined which sex was sacrificed to the plant.

No sorry needed, it is actually one of my failings that I tend to take all things literally. I am working on it though.

It is a weird subject for sure. I had seen those "Little Shop of Horrors" films all those years ago and had never considered that it was based on myth.

Great to see you back, Humaren!

Blue Water wrote:

Great to see you back, Humaren!

I hadn’t realized I left ...Oh Man! Not Again!...What year is it!

Hahaha! I almost spit my coffee out!

Still 2008, but I had to actually ask someone the date today cos I don't always keep up with which day it is....

Goth_Ink wrote:

Still 2008, but I had to actually ask someone the date today cos I don't always keep up with which day it is....

Now you are someone I can relate with!

I don't either, it's terrible. I miss important dates or if I remember (or discover) them I'm often late. I swear, anything involving numbers and I'm lost..