Flower (The Lost World)

The Flower was a gigantic plant organism that featured in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.

Background

The Flower was located on the Plateau and was one the more unique forms of life located on it. It was a female flower due to the pungent smell it produced and was quite large due to its extensive root system which encased a large part of the jungle. Despite the various plant life, all of it was part of a single organism with the flower being its central intelligence.

It was similar to another species of smaller plant due to its capacity to exude ammonia in a gas form through its root system which served to dissude predators from it. The ammonia congregated to such a level that it seemed like a fog which was capable of killing animals that journeyed through it. However, the ammonia secretions did not affect insect life allowing them to move unimpeded and help in the flowers pollination. At some point, it was capable of creating an organic root filled with water and by stimulation of the water the flower was capable of stopping its ammonia secretions.

The main body of the flower was present within the village and resembled a flower attached to the ground which was the size of a small village hut. It possessed four rows of petals that circled its central maw and beneath the main body was the main root where it drew sap from the ground. By cutting the main root, the creature began to rapidly die. Though it took nutrients from the ground, it required meat as well which it needed once a day. Failure to provide sustenance resulted in it going into shock and attacking the inhabitants of the village. It did this through the secretions of ammonia until it was fed.

Due to its plant-like nature, attacking the main flower did little harm to the creature except anger it. The only way to permanently kill it was through severing the main root.

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