In my book Unexplained Phenomena , I described a man-eating tree in Madagascar, known locally as "blunt," supposedly observed in the 19th century by the enigmatic explorer Carl Liché. However, I found that most researchers consider the tree and its discoverer to be figments of human imagination. Rumors of the mysterious tree, however, continue to emerge from the vast island. Czech explorer and traveler Ivan Mackerle set out to solve this mystery after learning that in 1935, a former British Army officer named L. Hearst had spent four months in Madagascar and photographed an unknown tree beneath which were strewn the skeletons of large animals. Mackerle learned that Hearst's photographs had been published, but scientists considered them a clever hoax. Angered by their reaction, Hearst immediately decided to embark on another expedition to Madagascar, but he died under mysterious circumstances. Although Mackerle never learned where the photographs were published, the intriguing story prompted him to travel to Madagascar in search of the truth. In 1998, he decided to spend a month on the island. On September 21, 1998, I received a very interesting letter from him describing the results of his search:
"We took a Malagasy guide and a translator who lives in Prague and speaks Czech. This allowed us to discuss the mysterious tree with the island's inhabitants. We traveled the entire country, especially its southern part. It's interesting that no one had heard of the man-eating tree. Neither had people in the cities (botanists, journalists, etc.) nor in the field. They had only heard of insectivorous plants. The story of Karl [sic] Lichy is also unknown. We spoke with many botanists. It's unbelievable! I thought everyone in Madagascar knew this legend. Killer trees are equally interesting. Science knows little or nothing about many of them. We found a tree called kuman-ga, poisonous when in flower. For safety, we took gas masks, but the tree was not covered in flowers. However, we noticed the skeletons of a dead bird and a turtle at the foot of the tree. The plant occurs only in one place in Madagascar and is now extremely rare. It wasn't easy to find. There are other dangerous trees on the island, but no man-eaters. The "andrindritra" ( Harpagophytum grandidiere ) is dangerous because you can get entangled in its hooked branches, and the "lumbiru" ( Cryptostegia madagascariensis ). The natives fear this tree because they believe that anyone who falls asleep at its feet will never wake up... The leaves of the kumanga tree, however, can be poisonous. We were told that cattle die if they eat the leaves and drink water near it, so the natives burn them."
In fact, the fascinating stories about the plant called "andrindritra" owe more to local legends than to the properties of the plant itself. The same applies to the stories about the choking fumes of "lumbir." This is essentially a type of vine from which a gum-like substance can be extracted.
It's worth noting that Harold T. Wilkins's book describes a vine that induces eternal sleep. A similar plant, called "el juy-juy," is described by the Indians living in the dense, tropical Chaco rainforest on the border of Bolivia and Argentina. According to Wilkins:
"The plant is very beautiful and alluring. It is said to exude a suffocating, sweet scent that lulls humans and large animals to sleep when they inadvertently seek rest in its shade at midday, during siesta time, when silence descends on the forest depths. When the victim falls into a drugged sleep, a shower of exquisite flowers falls from the lush crown. Each one is equipped with a powerful sucker that draws out the blood and all other bodily fluids of the victim. Not a shred of flesh remains beneath the tree. No vulture will swoop down from the sky to feast on its naked skeleton."
The grim legend of the jungle is captivating, but the existence of a vampire plant is as improbable as an encounter with the eight-tentacled tree described by Wilkins.
However, if Ivan Mackerle is right in reporting an unknown species of "killer tree" (i.e. poisonous) in Madagascar, then it must be concluded that this large island in the Indian Ocean still holds significant botanical mysteries, although the tales of a man-eating tree can no longer be dismissed as fairy tales.
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