Discworld 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
''The Sword of Truth'' is a series of twenty-one epic fantasy novels and 6 novellas written by Terry Goodkind. The books follow the protagonists Richard Cypher, Kahlan Amnell, Nicci, Cara, and Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander on their quest to defeat oppr ...
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 ...
'' by
Stella Gibbons
Stella Dorothea Gibbons (5 January 1902 – 19 December 1989) was an English writer, journalist, and poet. She established her reputation with her first novel, ''Cold Comfort Farm'' (1932) which has been reprinted many times. Although she ...
.
*
Tesla trees: large electrified trees from the planet
Hyperion in
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 the ...
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
Pak Breeders and Pak Protectors are two developmental stages of fictional life in Larry Niven's Known Space universe. The Pak first appeared in "The Adults", which appeared in ''Galaxy'' in 1967; this story was expanded into the novel ''Protector ...
: the ancestor of
yams, with similar appearance and taste, from
Larry Niven's
Known Space 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. Al ...
'' (1951) by
John Wyndham. 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, published in 2001. It is a sequel to John Wyndham's ''The Day of the Triffids''. Clark has been commended for his success at mimicking Wyndham's style, but ...
'' (2001) by
Simon Clark.
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth
*Aeglos: a plant, similar to a
gorse
''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are n ...
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 me ...
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 Gavriel ...
'', "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 Gavriel ...
'', "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
''Nicotiana'' () is a genus of herbaceous plants and shrubs in the Family (biology), family Solanaceae, that is Native plant, indigenous to the Americas, Australia, Southwestern Africa and the South Pacific. Various ''Nicotiana'' species, common ...
" (
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 the ...
, 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 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 onion ...
. Basis for a foul-tasting purple infusion brewed by the
Lovegoods in order to fend off
Gulping Plimpies
Magical creatures are an aspect of the fictional Wizarding World contained in the ''Harry Potter'' series and connected media, all created by British author J. K. Rowling. Throughout the seven main books of the series, Harry Potter (character), ...
. Considered not very original by Charles Elliott, depending on a funny name for effect.
*
Mandrakes
''Mandragora officinarum'' is the type species of the plant genus '' Mandragora'' in the nightshade family Solanaceae. It is often known as mandrake, although this name is also used for other plants. , sources differed significantly in the specie ...
: 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 is a real plant. Whilst the mandrake as it appears in the books and films is fictional,
J. K. Rowling’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'' book;
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
and
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 Potter ...
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 chapt ...
)''
* 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
''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'' 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 whic ...
s" under the plant's control
In ''Monty Python's Flying Circus''
The following plants appear in the David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...
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. 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 appearanc ...
''
Plants in Pandora
In Greek mythology, Pandora (Greek: , derived from , ''pān'', i.e. "all" and , ''dōron'', i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "all-gifted" or "all-giving") was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hes ...
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 transpar ...
, 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
Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. The unde ...
. 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 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 b ...
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 whic ...
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-release ...
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 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''. She is one of the central characters in the series, having ...
's favourite flower. The series also contains the Great Deku Tree
is a high-fantasy video game series created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments have been outsourced to Capcom, Vanpool and Gre ...
, 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'' and is the second game in the ''Pikmin'' series.
Like its predecesso ...
''.
* Chuck the Plant: a plant found in several of LucasArts' 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, ...
'' 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 d ...
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
Mist is a phenomenon caused by small droplets of water suspended in the cold air, usually by condensation. Physically, it is an example of a dispersion. It is most commonly seen where water vapor in warm, moist air meets sudden cooling, such a ...
.
*Laganaphyllis simnovorii: a carnivorous cow-like plant found in The Sims
''The Sims'' is a series of life simulation video games developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling video game series of all time.
The games ...
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 a ...
and Nier: Automata, by PlatinumGames.
*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 Plant
The Piranha Plant, known as in Japan, is a fictional plant species from Nintendo's Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise media. It usually appears as a leafy green stalk topped with a white-spotted red or green globe, with a maw lined with sha ...
s: 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 creat ...
'' 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, succeeding ...
''.
* 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 creat ...
'' series of videogames, used to enable Mario to shoot fire balls.
* 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
David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...
that was first published in ''Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
Annual'' #11 (1985). The story was later adapted into the ''Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'' episode of the same name. ''Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'' has an episode called "For the Girl Who Has Everything", where in this version the plant was sent by Kryptonian Non Non, non or NON can refer to:
* ''Non'', a negatory word in French, Italian and Latin
People
*Non (given name)
*Non Boonjumnong (born 1982), Thai amateur boxer
* Rena Nōnen (born 1993), Japanese actress who uses the stage name "Non" since July ...
. The story also served as an inspiration for the episode of ''Krypton
Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...
'', "Mercy", where in this version the plant was put on Lyta-Zod by her son from the future, General Zod
General Zod is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly known as an List of Superman enemies, adversary of the superhero Superman. The character, who first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961 ...
. 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
Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...
, and feeds from the victim's "bio-aura
According to spiritual beliefs, an aura or energy field is a colored emanation said to enclose a human body or any animal or object. In some esoteric positions, the aura is described as a subtle body. Psychics and holistic medicine practitioner ...
". 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
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell ...
(w), Gibbons, Dave (a). " For the Man Who Has Everything", ''Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
Annual'' #11 (1985). DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
.
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, 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
Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...
and Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in '' ...
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
Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash and Superman, has drawn critical accl ...
(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
''Injustice 2'' is a 2017 fighting game, fighting video game it is the sequel to 2013's ''Injustice: Gods Among Us'' and is the second installment in the ''Injustice (franchise), Injustice'' franchise based upon the DC Universe. It is developed ...
'', 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, 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
Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic law enforcement organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residin ...
. 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
Aglaophotis is a herb mentioned occasionally in works on occultism. References to aglaophotis and to olieribos (both of which are said to be magical herbs) are made in the ''Simon Necronomicon''.
Historic uses
The Greek doctor Dioscorides named ...
: A type of Peony said to be magical
*Austras koks
The world tree is a motif present in several religions and mythologies, particularly Indo-European religions, Siberian religions, and Native American religions. The world tree is represented as a colossal tree which supports the heavens, thereb ...
: a tree which grows from the start of the Sun's daily journey across the sky in Latvian mythology
Latvian mythology is the collection of myths that have emerged throughout the history of Latvia, sometimes being elaborated upon by successive generations, and at other times being rejected and replaced by other explanatory narratives. These myth ...
* Barnacle tree: mythical tree believed in the Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
to have barnacles that opened to reveal geese. The story may have started from goose barnacles growing on driftwood
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Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves.
In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides shelter and fo ...
.
*Fern flower
The fern flower is a magic flower in Baltic mythology ( lt, paparčio žiedas, lv, papardes zieds), in Estonian mythology ( et, sõnajalaõis) and in Slavic mythology ( be, папараць-кветка, pl, kwiat paproci, russian: цвето ...
: a magic plant in Baltic mythology thought to only bloom one night, sought by lovers
*Lotus tree
The lotus tree ( grc-gre, λωτός, ''lōtós'') is a plant that is referred to in stories from Greek and Roman mythology.
The lotus tree is mentioned in Homer's ''Odyssey'' as bearing a fruit that caused a pleasant drowsiness, and which was sai ...
: a plant in Greek mythology bearing a fruit that caused a pleasant drowsiness. It may have been real (a type of jujube (perhaps ''Ziziphus lotus'') or the date palm
''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...
).
* Moly: a magic herb in Greek mythology with a black root and white blossoms
*Raskovnik
In Slavic folklore, the raskovnik or razkovniche ( Serbian Cyrillic and mk, расковник; bg, разковниче ; russian: разрыв-трава; pl, rozryw) is a magical herb. According to lore, the raskovnik has the magical prop ...
: a magic plant in Serbian mythology
Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the religious
Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, te ...
which can open any lock
*Vegetable Lamb of Tartary
The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary (Latin: ''Agnus scythicus'' or ''Planta Tartarica Barometz'') is a legendary zoophyte of Central Asia, once believed to grow sheep as its fruit. It was believed the sheep were connected to the plant by an umbilical ...
: a mythical plant supposed by medieval thinkers to explain the existence of cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
*Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil (from Old Norse ), in Norse cosmology, is an immense and central sacred tree. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds.
Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional s ...
: the World tree
The world tree is a motif present in several religions and mythologies, particularly Indo-European religions, Siberian religions, and Native American religions. The world tree is represented as a colossal tree which supports the heavens, thereb ...
of Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
Hoaxes
*Man-eating plant
A man-eating plant is a legendary carnivorous plant large enough to kill and consume a human or other large animal. Various such myths and fictional tales exist around the world.
The Madagascar tree
The earliest known report of a man-eating plan ...
or Madagascar tree: a fictitious tree in the forests of Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
. 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
The spaghetti-tree hoax was a three-minute hoax report broadcast on April Fools' Day 1957 by the BBC current-affairs programme ''Panorama'', purportedly showing a family in southern Switzerland harvesting spaghetti from the family "spaghetti t ...
: a tree from which spaghetti
Spaghetti () is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta.[spaghetti](_blank)
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridg ...
is harvested. It was an April Fool's Day
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
joke launched by the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
TV programme ''Panorama
A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined in ...
'' in 1957.
See also
* Talking trees
* Tree (mythology)
Trees are significant in many of the world's mythologies, and have been given deep and sacred meanings throughout the ages. Human beings, observing the growth and death of trees, and the annual death and revival of their foliage, have often seen ...
* World tree
The world tree is a motif present in several religions and mythologies, particularly Indo-European religions, Siberian religions, and Native American religions. The world tree is represented as a colossal tree which supports the heavens, thereb ...
* Tree of life (disambiguation)
Further reading
*
*
Notes
References
{{Fictional biology
Plants, List of fictional