Photo by Robert Coffan – The Psathyrella aquatica mushroom, pictured above, was recently discovered by scientists in the Rogue Valley, Oregon. The Southern Oregon University environmental studies and biology faculty will share their discovery of a new species of mushroom that grows underwater – the first of its kind – in a presentation tomorrow in Ashland, Oregon. The new species is called Psathyrella aquatica. The multimedia presentation will be given by Robert Coffan, adjunct professor of environmental studies; Jonathan Frank, biology research technician; and Darlene Southworth, professor emerita, biology. The event begins at 2:30 p.m. with refreshments, and the presentation [...]
Rat-Eating Plant Discovered
Nepenthes tenax Here is another one for your cryptobotany file! It is not a cow-eating tree from India – (as per here, here, and here) – , but a rat-eating pitcher plant from Australia. A rare new species of plant that eats small rats has been discovered at the tip of Cape York. Pitcher plants, otherwise known as flesh-eating plants, grow throughout Cape York but now a new, larger species that grows like a vine has been discovered. The new species has been called “Tenax”. James Cook University ecologist Charles Clarke and a colleague found the new species at a [...]
New Monster Palm Discovered
New findings are everywhere, sometimes even when you happen to be on picnic! The palm will be called Tahina spectabilis which is Malagasy for blessed or to be protected. Tahina is the name of one of the discoverer Xavier Metz’s daughters. The most important new species of palm for 50 years has been discovered by a family picnicking in the jungle. Tahina spectabilis soars 60ft (18m) as it puts out millions of flowers in a spectacular last hurrah that kills it. Despite its size it escaped detection until Xavier Metz, a plantation owner, took his family for a picnic in [...]
Cow-Eating Tree Video
Still more on the “India’s Cow-Eating Trees”. A fascinating video report from tvdaijiworld India has been broadcast about the cow-eating tree, the eyewitness villagers, and the cow. Here is the footage, hosted by Gloria Rodrigues: ++++++ Update: David Pescovitz at Boing Boing did a good job of capturing a couple frames from the video, here.
More On Man-Eating Plants
You saw the posting here entitled “India’s Cow-Eating Trees”, and then might have seen it was picked up by Boing Boing. As David Pescovitz wrote, “Loren Coleman detours into ‘cryptobotany.’” Ah, the path less traveled. Map: The entire distribution range of the Venus Flytrap. Did they come down in a meteorite impact? Since then, there’s been several blogs around the internet snapping at a chance to mention man-eating trees. Now the news articles are appearing. One of the most detailed appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, which tips its cap to cryptozoologists, and points Bay Area residents in the direction [...]
India’s Cow-Eating Trees
Depiction of a native being consumed by a Ya-te-veo (“I can see you”) carnivorous tree of Central America, from Land and Sea by J.W. Buel, 1887. Source: Wikipedia. (The image appears to be from a woodcut, naturally.) In Roy Mackal’s book, Searching for Hidden Animals (NY: Doubleday, 1980), his last chapter is entitled “The Monstrous Plants.” It was not about cryptozoology, needless to say, but about cryptobotany, being a short treatise on the Victorian accounts of man-eating plants. As Mackal points out, many zoologists and botanists have been fascinated by plants that eat meat since the days when Charles Darwin [...]
Follow CryptoZooNews
Not Found
The resource could not be found.