The Fearsome Man Eating Tree of Madagascar, 1874On April 28th, 1874 the New York World published an

The Fearsome Man Eating Tree of Madagascar, 1874On April 28th, 1874 the New York World published an article announcing the discovery of a new species of plant located on the mysterious African island of Madagascar.  The article included the account of one “eminent” botanist Dr. Karl Leche who was traveling through a part of the country occupied by a tribe called the “Mkodo’s”.  There the Mkodo’s guided him to a large tree, which he described as a large pineapple shaped plant that sprouted tendrils which waved about wildly.  Dr. Leche then explains,“The Mkodos, when they saw the tree, began shouting, "Tepe! Tepe!” Then they surrounded one of their women and forced her, at javelin point, to climb the tree until she reached the apex of the cone that contained the treacly fluid. “Tsik! tsik!” the Mkodos men cried, which meant “drink! drink!" Obediently, she drank, and then, almost instantly, the slender palpi of the tree came alive, quivered, and seized her around her neck and arms. She screamed, but the tendrils gripped her tighter, strangling her, until her cries became a gurgled moan. The contraction of the tendrils caused the fluid of the tree to stream down its trunk, mingling with the blood and oozing viscera of the victim. The Mkodos rushed forward to drink this mixture of blood and tree fluid. Then ensued a grotesque and indescribably hideous orgie.”The man eating tree story spread quickly, being parroted and reprinted by other periodicals such as The Garden Magazine and The Farmers Magazine.  A number of explorers also traveled to Madagascar to search for the tree.Of course nothing would be found, as the man eating tree was certainly a hoax.  In 1888 the story was reprinted in Current Literature, with a revelation that the entire story was a concoction of the mind of Mr. Edmond Spencer, a writer for New York World. Dr. Karl Leche never existed and neither did the mysterious Mkodo tribe. -- source link

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