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Do you think that botanical gardens only have roses and tulips? The "dark plant area" of Heidelberg Botanical Garden will completely change your mind - here are carnivorous flowers that set death traps, "zombie grass" that survives by parasitism, and even castle poison ivy that can poison a horse. As one of the oldest botanical gardens in Europe, its greenhouses cultivate deadly beauty from the Amazon rainforest to the Siberian tundra. Today, we will reveal the most creepy plants. Are you ready to have a chill in your back?
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Location: Tropical greenhouse area B
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Although the famous "man-eating plant" does not really eat people, the smell of rotten meat of this Rafflesia arnoldii can attract flies to fall into the trap. Even more terrifying is its close relative Hydnora africana - it looks like an alien creature and will suddenly close its petals to trap beetles for up to 5 days!
Observation tips: Staff feed flies at 10am every Tuesday/Thursday, which is the best time to watch
Location: Central Exhibition Hall of Tropical Greenhouse
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Scientific name: Amorphophallus titanum, it emits a stench similar to that of a rotting corpse when it blooms (up to 800 meters away!). It bloomed for the first time in Heidelberg in 2023, causing three visitors to vomit and leave - but the greenhouse was crowded with people who lined up for 2 hours to get a whiff of the stench.
Funny Facts: Its heat generation capacity is comparable to that of small mammals, and the temperature reaches 36℃ when it blooms.
Location: East Wall of Temperate Plant Area
This Cuscuta has no leaves, wraps around other plants like a golden spider web, and uses needle-like organs to pierce the host's blood vessels to absorb nutrients. The most terrifying thing is that it can sense the "breathing" of nearby plants and actively grow in the direction with the richest nutrients.
Science Easter Egg: The German scientist who studied it won the Ig Nobel Prize
Location: Bed 7 of the medicinal plant garden
The berries of Atropa belladonna are sweet and juicy, but 5 of them can kill you. Medieval witches used it to make "flying ointment", and modern medicine uses it as a mydriatic drug - there is a replica of the crazy manuscript of a 16th-century poisoner on the display board.
Warning: Don't touch it! Toxins can be absorbed through the skin
Address: Im Neuenheimer Feld 340, 69120 Heidelberg
Dark Plant Guided Tour: Every Saturday at 14:00 (by appointment)
Special note: The humidity in the tropical greenhouse exceeds 80%, so it is recommended to bring a spare mask to prevent odor
When you finish watching these "plant killers", Darwin's famous saying at the exit suddenly becomes profound: "There is no good or evil in nature, only the wisdom of survival." Heidelberg Botanical Garden uses these dark elves to tell us that beauty can be fatal, horror often comes from misunderstanding, and human awe of nature should perhaps start with knowing "which plants cannot be touched casually."