This list of fictional plants describes invented plants that appear in works of fiction.
In fiction
*Audrey Jr.: a man-eating plant in the 1960 film ''
The Little Shop of Horrors
''The Little Shop of Horrors'' is a 1960 American horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about an inadequate florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human blood. The fi ...
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
Biollante
is a rose, human and dinosaur hybrid kaiju who first appeared in Toho's 1989 film '' Godzilla vs. Biollante'', and has since appeared in numerous licensed video games and comic books. The creature is portrayed as a genetically engineered clone o ...
: a monster plant of titanic proportions in the movie '' Godzilla vs Biollante''.
*Bush of many uses: a bush native to Vergon 6 in Futurama.
* Cactacae: sentient races of cactus people from
China Miéville
China Tom Miéville ( ; born 6 September 1972) is a British speculative fiction writer and literary critic. He often describes his work as '' weird fiction'' and is allied to the loosely associated movement of writers called '' New Weird''.
M ...
xerophyte
A xerophyte (from Greek ξηρός ''xeros'' 'dry' + φυτόν ''phuton'' 'plant') is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water, such as a desert such as the Sahara or places in the Alps or the ...
family
Cactaceae
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...
).
*
Dyson tree
A Dyson tree is an hypothetical genetically engineered plant (perhaps resembling a tree) capable of growing inside a comet, suggested by the physicist Freeman Dyson. Plants may be able to produce a breathable atmosphere within the hollow spaces ...
: a hypothetical
genetically-engineered
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of Genetic engineering techniques, technologies used to change the gene ...
plant (perhaps resembling a tree) capable of growing on a comet, suggested by the physicist
Freeman Dyson
Freeman John Dyson (15 December 1923 – 28 February 2020) was an English-American theoretical physicist and mathematician known for his works in quantum field theory, astrophysics, random matrices, mathematical formulation of quantum m ...
* Flower of Life: a flower featured in some anime series: ''
The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime TV series released in 1984, as the third of the Super Dimension series. It was adapted as "The Masters Saga" or the "Second Generation" of the American TV series ''Robotech''.
Plot
In the year 2120, ...
'', ''
Robotech
''Robotech'' is a science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production and first released in the United States in 1985.
The show was adapted from ...
Narn
The list of ''Babylon 5'' characters contains characters from the entire ''Babylon 5'' universe. The Babylon station was conceived as a political and cultural meeting place. As such, one of the show's many themes is the cultural and social intera ...
homeworld, used as incense in religious ceremonies from ''
Babylon 5
''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tele ...
'' TV series. It is ritually burned as incense, and its seeds are a narcotic for Centauri when dropped in alcohol. The G'Quan Eth plant is "difficult to grow, expensive to transport, very expensive to own." Whether it affects other species in this way when in alcohol is not clear, but we know that Narn don't seem to use it as a recreational drug (Londo chides G'Kar for Narns "It's a shame you Narns waste them, burning them as incense") and that it is illegal to possess on B5 except in religious contexts. The plant is presumably named after Narn spiritual leader G'Quan.
*
Inkvine
This is a list of terminology used in the fictional ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert, the primary source being "Terminology of the Imperium", the glossary contained in the novel ''Dune'' (1965).
''Dune'' word construction could be clas ...
: a creeping plant frequently used to whip in the slave cribs in the ''Dune'' universe
* Integral Trees: enormous trees from the science-fiction novel ''
The Integral Trees
''The Integral Trees'' is a 1984 science fiction novel by American writer Larry Niven (first published as a serial in ''Analog'' in 1983). Like much of Niven's work, the story is heavily influenced by the setting: a gas torus, a ring of air arou ...
'' by
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are '' Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, '' The Mote in God's E ...
. They are 100 kilometers long and have a leafy "tuft" at each end oriented in opposite directions forming an ∫, the
integral
In mathematics, an integral assigns numbers to functions in a way that describes displacement, area, volume, and other concepts that arise by combining infinitesimal data. The process of finding integrals is called integration. Along wit ...
symbol.
*
Kite-Eating Tree
The Kite-Eating Tree is a fictional tree in the ''Peanuts'' comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz. In the comics, when Charlie Brown attempts to fly a kite, the kite always ends up tangled in the tree. In an editorial from 1964, the '' U.S ...
Peanuts
''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and infl ...
''
* Krynoid: extraterrestrial carnivorous plant in episode "
The Seeds of Doom
''The Seeds of Doom'' is the sixth and final serial of the 13th season of the British science fiction television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fic ...
" from '' Doctor Who'' TV series
* '' Mariphasa lupina lumina'' (Wolf Flower): an extremely rare selenotropic, phosphorescent plant found only in the mountains of
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...
from the movie ''
Werewolf of London
''Werewolf of London'' is a 1935 horror film directed by Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull as the titular werewolf. The supporting cast includes Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, and Spring Byington. Jack Pierce, who is b ...
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his '' Discworld'' series of 41 novels.
Pratchett's first no ...
's ''
Discworld
''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat ...
'' series which, due to a rare 4-dimensional twist in their genetic structure, flower and grow before their seed germinates.
*
Red weed
The Martians, also known as the Invaders, are the fictional race of extraterrestrials from the H.G. Wells 1898 novel ''The War of the Worlds''. They are the main antagonists of the novel, and their efforts to exterminate the populace of the Ea ...
: a red plant from
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
brought to Earth possibly accidentally by the invading Martians in the novel ''
The War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...
Discworld
''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat ...
series. When sapient pearwood is crafted into an item, the product gains a semblance of magical life, and becomes devoted to the owner.
*Snake vine: an odd-looking vine with dusky, variegated leaves hunkered around a stem that winds a stranglehold around nearby trees, eventually killing them from the Sword of Truth fantasy series by
Terry Goodkind
Terry Lee Goodkind (January 11, 1948September 17, 2020) was an American writer. He was known for the epic fantasy series ''The Sword of Truth'' as well as the contemporary suspense novel ''The Law of Nines'' (2009), which has ties to his fantasy ...
. It will bite at nearby creatures, leaving deadly toothlike thorns that burrow into their skin and eventually kill them. There is actually a plant commonly called by this name that is native to Australia. See Snake vine
*'' Serenna veriformans'': a fictional plant that appears in the novel and movie ''Jurassic Park''. There has never been reported a prehistoric fern genus named ''Serenna'' or a ''veriformans'' species. The word vermiform usually refers to something that is worm-like, like in Vermiform appendix. In the movie the plant is not a fern but an angiosperm.
*Sukebind: fictional flower in the novel ''
Cold Comfort Farm
''Cold Comfort Farm'' is a comic novel by English author Stella Gibbons, published in 1932. It parodies the romanticised, sometimes doom-laden accounts of rural life popular at the time, by writers such as Mary Webb.
Plot summary
Following ...
Hyperion Cantos
The ''Hyperion Cantos'' is a series of science fiction novels by Dan Simmons. The title was originally used for the collection of the first pair of books in the series, '' Hyperion'' and '' The Fall of Hyperion'', and later came to refer to th ...
novels by
Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons (born April 4, 1948) is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works which span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes wi ...
. They appear to store up electricity inside their body during certain seasons, releasing all of it in huge arcs of lightning from their crown, burning away all that was growing or walking near them and thus getting fertilizer.
* Tree-of-Life: the ancestor of yams, with similar appearance and taste, from
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are '' Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, '' The Mote in God's E ...
's
Known Space
Known Space is the fictional setting of about a dozen science fiction novels and several collections of short stories written by Larry Niven. It has also become a shared universe in the spin-off ''Man-Kzin Wars'' anthologies. The Internet Spe ...
novels.
*
Triffid
The triffid is a fictional tall, mobile, carnivorous plant species, created by John Wyndham in his 1951 novel ''The Day of the Triffids'', which has since been adapted for film and television. The word "triffid" has become a common reference ...
s: carnivorous plants which possess a whip-like poisonous sting as well as mobility by three foot-like appendages, from the novel ''
The Day of the Triffids
''The Day of the Triffids'' is a 1951 post-apocalyptic novel by the English science fiction author John Wyndham. After most people in the world are blinded by an apparent meteor shower, an aggressive species of plant starts killing people. A ...
'' (1951) by
John Wyndham
John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (; 10 July 1903 – 11 March 1969) was an English science fiction writer best known for his works published under the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names ...
. They subsequently appeared in a radio series (BBC, 1960), a motion picture (1962), a TV series (BBC, 1981) and a sequel novel, ''
The Night of the Triffids
''The Night of the Triffids'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Simon Clark (novelist), Simon Clark, published in 2001. It is a sequel to John Wyndham (writer), John Wyndham's ''The Day of the Triffids''. Clark has been commended for ...
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of much of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy. The term is equivalent to the '' Miðgarðr'' of Norse mythology and ''Middangeard'' in Old English works, including ''Beowulf''. Middle-earth is ...
*Aeglos: a plant, similar to a gorse named for the Elvish 'snow-thorn'
*Athelas: a healing plant with long leaves (also known as ''Kingsfoil'' or ''asëa aranion'')
*Elanor: a small star-shaped yellow flower from
Tol Eressëa
Valinor ( Quenya'': Land of the Valar'') or the Blessed Realms is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the home of the immortal Valar on the continent of Aman, far to the west of Middle-earth; he used the name Aman mainly to m ...
and
Lothlórien
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Lothlórien or Lórien is the fairest realm of the Elves remaining in Middle-earth during the Third Age. It is ruled by Galadriel and Celeborn from their city of tree-houses at Caras Galadhon. The wood-elves ...
*Mallorn: a huge tree with green-and-silver leaves turning golden in autumn and remaining so till spring, upon which the Elves of Lothlórien housed
* Nimloth: the White Tree of Númenor, a seedling of Celeborn, a seedling of Galathilion, created in the image of Telperion''
The Silmarillion
''The Silmarillion'' () is a collection of myths and stories in varying styles by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It was edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, assisted by the fantasy author Guy Gavri ...
'', "Quenta Silmarillion", ch. 3 "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"''
The Silmarillion
''The Silmarillion'' () is a collection of myths and stories in varying styles by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It was edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, assisted by the fantasy author Guy Gavri ...
'', "Quenta Silmarillion", ch. 8 "Of the Darkening of Valinor"
*Niphredil: a small white flower from Doriath and Lothlórien
*Pipe-weed: "a strain of the herb nicotiana" (
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
), varieties mentioned include Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby, Southern Star, grown in
the Shire
The Shire is a region of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, described in ''The Lord of the Rings'' and other works. The Shire is an inland area settled exclusively by hobbits, the Shire-folk, largely sheltered from the goings-on in th ...
, and Southlinch, from Bree
*Oiolairë: an evergreen fragrant tree highly esteemed by the Númenóreans
*Simbelmynë: a white flower that grew in
Gondolin
In Tolkien's legendarium, Gondolin was a secret city of Elves in the First Age of Middle-earth. The story of the Fall of Gondolin tells of the founding of the city; of the arrival there of Tuor, a prince of Men; of the betrayal of the city to Mor ...
and Rohan (also known as Evermind and Alfirin)
* Valinor, Two Trees of: magic trees that illuminated the
Blessed Realm
Blessed may refer to:
* The state of having received a blessing
* Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been Beatification, beatified
Film and television
* Blessed (2004 film), ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 m ...
in ancient times
In J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bowtruckle
* Leaping toadstool
*Gillyweed: seaweed-like plant which, when you eat it, allows you to breathe underwater for a short period of time. You also temporarily grow fins and flippers.
*Gurdyroot: resembles a green
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...
. Basis for a foul-tasting purple infusion brewed by the Lovegoods in order to fend off Gulping Plimpies. Considered not very original by Charles Elliott, depending on a funny name for effect.
* Mandrakes: tubers that look like babies when young. Their screams can kill when fully grown. A potion made from mature mandrakes can restore victims who have been petrified. A different kind of
mandrake
A mandrake is the root of a plant, historically derived either from plants of the genus '' Mandragora'' found in the Mediterranean region, or from other species, such as ''Bryonia alba'', the English mandrake, which have similar properties. The ...
is a real plant. Whilst the mandrake as it appears in the books and films is fictional,
J. K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. The ser ...
’s description does reflect genuinely held beliefs about the mandrake, in particular, the danger surrounding its screams. This led to the practice of using dogs to collect the mandrake and the blocking of ears during collecting.
*The whomping willow: a tree which has club-like branches which can move. The whomping Willow is very hostile in the ''
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the second novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, d ...
Ron Weasley
Ronald Bilius Weasley is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' fantasy novel series. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', as the best friend of Harry Pott ...
crash into it with a car, and are lucky to escape alive. There is a secret passage that leads into the Shrieking Shack, a haunted house, underneath the whomping Willow's roots.
In Brandon Sanderson's ''Cosmere'' Series
;On the planet Roshar ''(
The Stormlight Archive
''The Stormlight Archive'' is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson, planned to consist of ten novels. As of 2022, the series comprises four published novels and two novellas. The first novel, ''The Way of ...
)''
* Firemoss: A red-brown moss that, when activated by rubbing between the thumb and forefinger, releases wisps of smoke that create feelings of euphoria when inhaled and is used as a recreational drug. Firemoss is highly addictive, limiting its medicinal use, though it is sometimes used to reduce cranial swelling and offer pain relief.
* Knobweed: Like most of the plants found on Rohsar, knobweed has adapted to survive the planet’s harsh storms. The reed-like stalk anchors itself directly to stone and the frond found at the top of the stalk has the ability to contract and retreat into the stalk during storms for protection. Knobweed reproduces by releasing fluffy pappuses that carry seeds into the air. The milky white sap found inside knobweed stems is a natural and highly valuable antiseptic used in the field and by established apothecaries.
* Prickletac: Prickletac plants are actually colonies of much smaller living buds. As each generation of buds dies it converts to a hard, stony material which the next generation builds upon. Prickletac’s reproductive system is based on this oddity – when a ‘limb’ grows too large it breaks off and falls to the ground, scattering living buds. Also known as ''Twisted Spine''.
* Rockbuds: Rockbud is both a general term for several shelled plants on Roshar, including ''Lavis Polyps'', ''Vinebuds'', and ''Prickletac Shrubs'', and the proper name for a specific plant. The true Rockbud plant is a shelled plant containing lengthy tendrils that reach out to lap up water (and occasionally animal blood). The size of fully grown rockbuds depends largely on climate. In colder climates they grow no larger than a human fist, while rockbuds in warm climates can grow to the size of a barrel. Rockbuds are harvested for consumption, limited medicinal uses, and paper making.
* Shalebark: A class of stony, fanlike plants often used for decoration and landscaping.
;On the planet Nalthis ''(
Warbreaker
''Warbreaker'' is a fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was published on June 9, 2009 by Tor Books.
Sanderson released several rewrites of ''Warbreaker'' under a Creative Commons license ( CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 US), one chap ...
)''
* Tears of Edgli: Vibrantly colored flowers that grow only in the temperate T’Telir climate. Highly valuable both economically and magically.
;On the planet First of the Sun ''(Sixth of the Dusk)'';
* Unnamed Telepathic Trees: Many flora and fauna on this planet communicate with a form of natural telepathy. Certain unnamed plants living on the islands that make up the Pantheon send false thoughts of wounded or frightened animals to attract predators, which often fight and leave victims dead near enough to the tree to provide nutrition. These plants are not directly carnivorous.
;On the planet Taldain ''( White Sand'' Series)
* Dorim vines: Dorim vines live under the sand that covers most of Taldain's Dayside continent, reaching down to the water table where they fill themselves with water as a defensive mechanism against predators – the hard shells of many of the continents animals is dissolved by contact with water. Pouring water onto sand draws nearby vines out of the ground.
In ''Dungeons & Dragons''
The role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' has a number of imaginary, according to Charles Elliott "not-very-ingenious", plant species, as well as "a taxonomy of fungal horrors", which Ben Woodard considers eerie not only for their poisonous nature, but because many have the ability to move.
*Basidirond: a giant multi-stemmed fungus creature
*Hangman tree: a tree that will attempt to strangle anyone who ventures under it
*Kelpie: a shape-shifting mass of animate seaweed that can imitate a woman or other creatures, and drowns its victims
*Myconid: A "race of an-sizedsentient fungus creatures", "some of which pack a mean punch", and which have the "ability to spray poisons that can disable their foes".
*Oaken defender: an enormous disk-shaped plant that lives in dryad groves and assists in their defense
*Obliviax: "memory moss", a black moss that steals memories from intelligent creatures
*Phantom fungus: a dangerous subterranean plant that grapples victims with tentacles
*Shambling mound: an atrocious plant-like creature, also called a shambler
*Shrieker: Ambulatory fungus, which "can be used as cheap alarm systems for Underdark societies, but they possess no combat abilities of their own. The only thing a shrieker can do is shriek". Scott Baird from '' Screen Rant'' ranked the man-sized shrieker among the weakest monsters in the game.
*Tendriculos: an enormous, savage, sentient plant resembling a huge, tangled shrubbery
*
Treant
Ents are a species of beings in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world Middle-earth who closely resemble trees; their leader is Treebeard of Fangorn forest. Their name is derived from an Old English word for giant.
The Ents appear in ''The Lord of ...
: sentient trees with human characteristics that typically protect forests from antagonists
*Vegepygmy: a "mold man", a former human transformed by russet mold
*Wood woad: a creature resembling big, burly, bestial men made entirely of wood and bark bearing, but without foliage
*Yellow musk creeper: a creeping plant that drains the intelligence of its victims, killing them or turning them into "yellow musk
zombie
A zombie ( Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in w ...
s" under the plant's control
In ''Monty Python's Flying Circus''
The following plants appear in the David Attenborough sketch of the last ''Monty Python'' episode.
* Angolan sauntering tree (''Amazellus robin ray'').
* Gambian sidling bush.
* Puking Tree of Mozambique.
* The Turkish little rude plant: a remarkably smutty piece of flora used by the Turks.
* Walking tree of Dahomey (''Quercus nicholas parsonus''): the legendary walking tree that can achieve speeds of up to 50 miles an hour, especially when it is in a hurry. There is movie footage from the late 1940s in which a walking tree actually sprints after a
cheetah
The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...
. Very funny, although the cheetah was subsequently quite rooted.
In the 2009 film ''
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appeara ...
''
Plants in Pandora have evolved according to the characteristics of their environment, which has an atmosphere that is thicker than on Earth, with higher concentrations of
carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is trans ...
,
xenon
Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. It is a dense, colorless, odorless noble gas found in Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts. Although generally unreactive, it can undergo a few chemical reactions such as the ...
and hydrogen sulfide. Gravity is weaker in Pandora, thereby giving rise to gigantism. There is a strong magnetic field, causing plants to develop 'magnetotropism'. A particularly intriguing quality of flora and fauna in Pandora is their ability to communicate with each other. This is explained in the movie as a phenomenon called 'signal transduction', pertaining to how plants perceive a signal and respond to it.
In video games
Video games frequently feature fictional plants as items that can be collected by the player, or occasionally appear as non-player characters.
* The
Monster Hunter
is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fantasy-themed action role-playing video games that started with the game '' Monster Hunter'' for the PlayStation 2, released in 2004. Titles have been released across a variety of platforms ...
series has multiple fictional flowers and plants that can be gathered by the player character, including nulberries, might seeds, flowferns, and dragonstrike nuts.
*The titular plants from the
Plants vs. Zombies
''Plants vs. Zombies'' is a video game franchise developed by PopCap Games, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts (EA). The series follows the affiliates of David "Crazy Dave" Blazing as they use his plants to defend against a zombie invasion, led ...
series, which are used to defeat
zombie
A zombie ( Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in w ...
enemies.
* The
Legend of Zelda
''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...
series, plants play a significant role. In many games, bomb flowers allow the player character to explode rocks and obstacles. In
Breath of the Wild
is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U consoles. The game is an installment of ''The Legend of Zelda'' series and is set at the end of its timeline. The player controls an am ...
in particular, the game is full of flowers and herbs that convey different abilities to Link, including the Silent Princess,
Princess Zelda
is the titular Character (arts), character in Nintendo's ''The Legend of Zelda'' video game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the original 1986 game ''The Legend of Zelda (video game), The Legend of Zelda''. She is on ...
's favourite flower. The series also contains the Great Deku Tree, a guardian tree that watches over the forest in multiple games in the franchise.
*Broc Flower: a plant in Fallout: New Vegas used as a medical remedy.
*Plantera: a flower from the game
Terraria
''Terraria'' is an action-adventure sandbox game developed by Re-Logic. The game was first released for Windows on May 16, 2011, and has since been ported to several other platforms. The game features exploration, crafting, building, painting ...
which is used to be a two phase bossfight, when it is at 51% health and higher it is in its first phase moving towards the player and firing seeds, but when the player decreases its life to 50% it enters phase two, bursting a mouth with many sharp teeth, spawning biters and spores.
* Candypop Bud: a flower found in the video games ''
Pikmin
is a real-time strategy and puzzle video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, and published by Nintendo. The games focus on directing a horde of plant-like creatures called Pikmin in order to collect items by destroying obstacles, avoiding ...
'' and ''
Pikmin 2
is a 2004 real-time strategy puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube home video game console. It is the direct sequel to the 2001 game ''Pikmin (video game), Pikmin'' and is the second game in the ''Pikmin'' series. ...
LucasArts
Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as part of a large ...
' games.
*Elowan: a race of plant-like creatures in ''
Starflight
''Starflight'' is a space exploration, combat, and trading role-playing video game created by Binary Systems and published by Electronic Arts in 1986. Originally developed for IBM PC compatibles, it was later ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, Mac ...
'' computer game.
*Flowey: A sentient golden flower who is one of the main antagonists from the game
Undertale
''Undertale'' is a 2015 2D role-playing video game created by American indie developer Toby Fox. The player controls a child who has fallen into the Underground: a large, secluded region under the surface of the Earth, separated by a magical ...
. Flowey has no soul and in the neutral route Flowey consumes 6 human souls to become Photoshop Flowey, the final boss of that route.
*
Genesis Tree
is a turn-based role-playing video game. It is followed by '' Legaia 2: Duel Saga''.
Gameplay
The player selects a target during battle. Each character performs on the phase based on status. The player sees corresponding vertical strikes. Each ...
s: trees located in the world of Legaia from the video game ''
Legend of Legaia
is a turn-based role-playing video game. It is followed by ''Legaia 2: Duel Saga''.
Gameplay
The player selects a target during battle. Each character performs on the phase based on status. The player sees corresponding vertical strikes. Each di ...
''. They have the power to keep a large area free of the Mist.
*Laganaphyllis simnovorii: a carnivorous cow-like plant found in
The Sims
''The Sims'' is a series of life simulation game, life simulation video games developed by Maxis and video game publisher, published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling ...
series of games, commonly known as the Cowplant.
*Lunar Tears, from
Nier
''Nier'' is an action role-playing video game developed by Cavia and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in April 2010. In Japan, the game was released as for the PlayStation 3 with a younger main character, while an ...
PlatinumGames
PlatinumGames Inc. is a Japanese video game developer that was founded in October 2007 as result of a merger between two companies, Seeds Inc. and Odd Inc. Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, and Hideki Kamiya founded Seeds Inc. after the closure o ...
.
*Nirnroot: Is a very rare plant with strong alchemical properties from
The Elder Scrolls
''The Elder Scrolls'' is a series of Action role-playing game, action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on Nonlinear gameplay, free-form gameplay in an ...
series of video games. Appearing as a blueish green plant that emits a constant hum.
* Piranha Plants: plants with mouths from the ''
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...
'' series of video games, often depicted as sentient. It is also a playable character in ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
''.
*Crash Bandicoot#Collectibles, Wumpa fruits: Collectible fruits from ''Crash Bandicoot''.
*Fire Flower another famous flower from ''
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...
'' series of videogames, used to enable Mario to shoot fire balls.
*Supox, Supox utricularia: a race of kind, sentient plant creatures from ''Star Control'' computer game series.
*Xander Root: a plant in Fallout: New Vegas used as a medical remedy.
*Sylvari: a race of sapient plant people in the MMO Guild Wars 2, available as a playable race.
In DC comics
The Black Mercy is an extraterrestrial hallucinogenic plant used a weapon by the supervillain Mongul. Mongul first uses it in "For the Man Who Has Everything", a story by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons that was first published in ''Superman (comic book), Superman Annual publication, Annual'' #11 (1985). The story was later adapted into the ''Justice League Unlimited'' List of Justice League episodes#Season 1 (2004–05), episode of the same name. ''Supergirl (2015 TV series), Supergirl'' has an episode called "For the Girl Who Has Everything", where in this version the plant was sent by Kryptonian Non (comics), Non. The story also served as an inspiration for the episode of ''Krypton (TV series), Krypton'', "Mercy", where in this version the plant was put on Lyta-Zod by her son from the future, Dru-Zod, General Zod. Described in the original story by Mongul as "something between a plant and an intelligent fungus", the Black Mercy attaches itself to its victims in a form of symbiosis, and feeds from the victim's "bio-aura". The organism is telepathic, and reads its victim's heart's desire, giving them a logical simulation and an ending that the victim wants, which the victim experiences an entirely immersive, virtual experience in which their actual surroundings are masked to them. According to Mongul, victims are capable of "shrugging off" the hallucination, though some find the experience too compelling to do so unaided.Moore, Alan (w), Gibbons, Dave (a). "For the Man Who Has Everything", ''Superman (comic book), Superman Annual publication, Annual'' #11 (1985). DC Comics.
The Black Mercy is typically depicted as consisting of dark green, thorned vines that attach themselves to a humanoid victim's upper torso, with a set of pink flowers, each with a long, red, tentacle-like Stigma (botany), stigma, growing in the center of the victim's chest. When Mongul first uses the Black Mercy on Superman, they burrow through his costume and into his body, able to penetrate his otherwise invulnerable skin because, Wonder Woman senses, they are at least partially magical, which is one of Superman's weaknesses. During his experience with the organism, Superman's breathing appears faint, and his ability to sense the fraudulent nature of the simulation it feeds him and fight it manifests as tears produced by his actual eyes. The Black Mercy can be pulled off a victim by a strong humanoid such as Batman, and Mongul uses special protective gauntlets to handle the plant safely. Superman is not able to awaken from the Black Mercy's simulation without help from Batman, though Oliver Queen and Hal Jordan are both able to do so in a subsequent storyline when they are both trapped by the same plant, as this meant that the two were sharing an illusion and Hal's strength of will caused Oliver to experience what ''Hal'' believed was his friend's greatest desire rather than Oliver making the choice himself.Johns, Geoff (w), Pacheco, Carlos (p), Merino, Jesus (i). "A Perfect Life: Chapters 1-2", ''Green Lantern'' (Vol. 4) #7-8 (February–March 2006). DC Comics.
In the video game ''Injustice 2'', Supergirl mentions Black Mercy in pre-battle dialogue with Scarecrow. She states dealing with him is no different than dealing with Black Mercy, causing Scarecrow to ask her what is Black Mercy out of curiosity, causing Supergirl to describe it as an evil space plant.
Characters who have experienced the Black Mercy include:
*Superman sees himself on a still-intact Krypton with his biological parents, married to a retired actress named Lyla, and a son named Van.
*Batman envisions a life in which his parents were not murdered during his childhood, and he is married to Kathy Kane.
*Mongul envisions a life in which he successfully kills Superman, before setting out across the universe, killing all of his enemies, entire populations kneeling before him amid his destruction of countless galaxies.Jurgens, Dan (w), Zircher, Patrick (a). "Revenge, Part I". ''Action Comics'' #979 (early June 2017). DC Comics.
*Green Arrow envisions a life in which he is married to Sandra "Moonday" Hawke, and in addition to their older son Connor Hawke, Connor, they have a younger son, and a newborn third. When Mongul uses the Black Mercy on him, Green Arrow was caught along with Hal Jordan, with the result that he saw what Hal believed would be his perfect life.
*Hal Jordan envisions a life in which his parents and his siblings are present in his life, and Sinestro is a friend who fights by his side as a member of the Green Lantern Corps. When Mongul uses the Black Mercy on him, Jordan was caught in the same illusion as Oliver Queen, which resulted in Jordan creating what ''he'' believed would be Queen's perfect life rather than Queen experiencing his own idea of a perfect life, allowing Queen to see through its simulation and thus awaken from it.
In mythology
* Aglaophotis: A type of Peony said to be magical
*Austras koks: a tree which grows from the start of the Sun's daily journey across the sky in Latvian mythology
* Barnacle tree: mythical tree believed in the Middle Ages to have barnacles that opened to reveal Barnacle goose, geese. The story may have started from goose barnacles growing on driftwood.
*Fern flower: a magic plant in Baltic mythology thought to only bloom one night, sought by lovers
*Lotus tree: a plant in Greek mythology bearing a fruit that caused a pleasant drowsiness. It may have been real (a type of Ziziphus, jujube (perhaps ''Ziziphus lotus'') or the date palm).
*Moly (herb), Moly: a magic herb in Greek mythology with a black root and white blossoms
*Raskovnik: a magic plant in Serbian mythology which can open any Lock (security device), lock
*Vegetable Lamb of Tartary: a mythical plant supposed by medieval thinkers to explain the existence of cotton
*Yggdrasil: the World tree of Norse mythology
Hoaxes
*Man-eating plant or Madagascar tree: a fictitious tree in the forests of Madagascar. There are stories of similar trees in the jungles of Mindanao Island in the Philippines. The tree is said to have a gray trunk and animated vine-like stems used to capture and kill humans and other large animals. Comparable plants are mentioned in tall tales and fiction.
*Spaghetti tree: a tree from which spaghetti is harvested. It was an April Fool's Day joke launched by the BBC TV programme ''Panorama (TV series), Panorama'' in 1957.
See also
* Talking trees
* Tree (mythology)
* World tree
* Tree of life (disambiguation)
Further reading
*
*
Notes
References
{{Fictional biology
Fictional plants,
Lists of fictional life forms, Plants, List of fictional