The Widow’s Veil Bloom
Plants of Rathkill Island
This is a fascinating extract from Siobhán Gunny's marvellous new book, Herbarium Arcanum. Yes, really, she's publishing yet another one but at least this one is about plants this time. Please email me, Orion Slade, to express interest in pre-ordering.
Botanist Notes
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Angiospermae (Flowering Plants)
Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order: Chthoniales
Family: Noctifloraceae (Night-Blooming Family)
Scientific name: Atramenta pavoris
Habitat:
Deep, temperate old-growth forests, preferring areas with high humidity and limited light. Found near bodies of slow-moving water (ie: the widow’s well over by Shanbo).
Morphological and Behavioral Documentation
Atramenta pavoris is a parasitic, non-photosynthetic flowering plant that appears to feed exclusively on the microbial life found within the decaying tissue of large mammals, often near predator kill sites. Its primary structure is a dark, rubbery rhizome system that anchors it to the forest floor.
The Bloom:
The “bloom” is its most unsettling feature. It emerges only after sundown and has a lifecycle of approximately 4-6 hours. It consists of a pitch-black, glossy, bell-shaped calyx from which hang dozens of thin, white, thread-like filaments, commonly known as the “veil.” These filaments are covered in microscopic, hook-like barbs that are coated in a potent neuro-sedative alkaloid.
Predation/Feeding:
The plant releases a barely-perceptible scent, a sickly-sweet aroma reminiscent of old, damp lace. When small to medium size creatures brush against the hanging filaments, they are instantly paralysed. The plant then slowly retracts the filaments, drawing the immobilised prey directly into the bell-shaped calyx, where digestive enzymes break down the organism for nutrient absorption. The withered, hollowed exoskeletons are dropped directly onto the forest floor at dawn.
“⚠️ Please remember to keep your children in at night, especially if they’re on the smaller size ⚠️”