You might think that a pumpkin carved into a snaggle-toothed, grinning effigy is the scariest that a plant can get.
But in the dark underbellies of jungles and tangled mires of gurgling swamps, fascinating and strange plants thrive.
Fear not: you don’t have to brave certain death to meet these strange and otherworldly organisms. Just a short walk through brisk fall weather will bring you face-to-face with more unique plants than you could imagine.
Join us as we explore the unsettling plants on display in Michigan State University’s Plant Biology Conservatory and Herbarium.
Corpse Flower
They’re tall, smell like rotting flesh and burst up menacingly from the earth after long periods of dormancy. No, not zombies — we’re talking about Amorphophallus titanum, otherwise known as the corpse flower! These impressive, towering flowers come from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where they grow in jungle clearings. A. titanum boasts the largest corm (a root-like storage organ) of any species, and the largest singular flowerhead in the world.
An unmistakable stench blooms from the flower’s burgundy spathe – the outer ring of the flower – and is amplified by the plant’s enormous spadix (the yellow, spire-like appendage jutting up from the center). This foul broadcast attracts flies and carrion beetles – the preferred pollinators for the corpse flower.
The flower has bloomed only sparingly over the last twenty years; only a handful of these flowers bloom in captivity each year. Even worse, they are notoriously unpredictable.
Although MSU’s corpse flower is currently dormant, it last bloomed in 2014 and attracted far more than flies: the event drew a crowd of more than 3,000 people looking for an unusual brush with death.
Carrion Flower
Bearing a striking resemblance to “Stranger Things’” Demogorgon, the plants of the genus Stapelia look something like a cross between a starfish and Star Wars’ Sarlacc Pit. These flowers, like the corpse flower, emit the scent of decay to entice pollinators. Stapelia have the added benefit of resembling rotting meat; their petals are thick and covered with red and white striations.
The gut-wrenching illusion pays off: these flowers are pollinated by various flies (including flesh flies in the family Sarcophagidae) drawn in by the flowers’ rancid odor. Committed to leaving their feasting ground better than they left it, the flies sometimes leave behind eggs that soon hatch into a brood of maggots.
This probably isn’t the kind of plant-based meat substitute you’d want to keep in your fridge.
Cup of Gold
In the final act of the 1989 film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” Dr. Jones and his adversary Walter Donovan were tasked with picking the true Holy Grail from amongst an array of opulent chalices.
Donovan chooses one sparkling golden goblet from amongst dozens, and takes a long drink. Moments later, he rapidly ages before his body crumbles into dust.
Perhaps the Cup of Gold, a name given to plants in the genus Solandra, belongs in the mix.
Also called Chalice Vine, these toxic plants have a native range stretching from central Mexico to South America, and a long history of use as a hallucinogen — sometimes with unintended and fatal consequences. Solandra’s large, pale-yellow flowers open primarily at night and feature large openings – an adaptation which accommodates their preferred pollinators — bats!
Belladonna
Atropa belladonna is a famous and fatal variety of nightshade, named after Atropos, one of the three Fates of Greek mythology.
According to legend, Atropos was responsible for deciding the time and manner of one’s death and subsequently snipping the thread of fate. It makes sense, then, that this famed plant is most notorious for its potential as a potent poison, having been used in tinctures, teas and other concoctions. But belladonna has also been consumed unwittingly on account of its ripe, enticing fruits, sometimes called devil’s cherries.
Here, a specimen from the MSU herbarium shows a pressed & dried branch of Atropa belladonna collected and preserved in 1816.
Pitcher Plants
Have you ever had a dream where you’re running away from something but just can’t move your arms and legs quickly enough? Escape is hopeless – you might as well be running through quicksand.
That dream is the unfortunate reality of the unwitting victims of the world’s pitcher plants, of which there are over 100 known species.
Pitcher plants are a variety of carnivorous plants with cavernous gullets, each containing juice rich in digestive enzymes. Sometimes topped with a lid which secretes sugar-rich nectar, these plants lure prey in before plunging them into darkness.
The helpless prey is then slowly digested, trapped by a devious assortment of traps, including steep, slippery walls, hidden pools of water and perilous and spiky hairs depending on the species of plant. Talk about trick-or-treat!
Staghorn Fern
Staghorn ferns (Platycerium bifurcatum) originate from a region in the Pacific encompassing Java, New Guinea and Australia. Staghorn ferns are epiphytes, meaning that they grow on other, larger plants like trees without parasitizing them. They’re common houseplants and strikingly beautiful when mature.
So, what makes them creepy? The heart-shaped leaves which grow at the base of these ferns turn them into living graveyards: as the edges of their basal fronds grow, they encircle the plant in a sort of funnel. Within this funnel, all sorts of detritus from the forest canopy collects – including fruits, leaves and even dead animals. Over time, this organic matter decomposes, becoming compost for the fern. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
The Plant Biology Conservatory and the MSU Herbarium are open to the campus community and the public at large and offer guided tours – if you’re brave enough to enter!
Both facilities accept donations to help grow and manage their collections, which support education, outreach and research in the department of Plant Biology.
Donations to the Herbarium can be made to the John H. Beaman Memorial Herbarium Fund here.
Donations to the conservatory can be made here.