Carnivorous Trees are mankind obsession since the origins of the times. There are many movies reffering to carnivorous plants and trees, generally used to give some screams in horror movies. In fact, there are 3 places in the world where carnivorous trees are reported; even if it is hard to believe, it may be true.
Madagascar
The most popular of the cases of carnivorous tree. Described as a pineapple-shaped plant of a 2,50 meters height, it has 8 spike-studded leaves and many sinuous tendrils. At the top of the plant lies a "bowl", which contain a sweet-smelling fluid. The tendrils become active when something touches the liquid, ensnaring the victim and digesting blood and flesh, leaving bones after its "meal". That description was brought to us in the late 1800s by a German scientist, Karl Liche, who saw it while living with cave-dwelling pygmies (Mkodos), who live in the heart of the rain-forests of the island. He described a gruesome festival from the natives where a young woman is sacrificed to the plant in exchange of the intoxicating liquid.
South America
Called Yatee-veo ("I can see you"), these trees are too enough large and strong to catch and eat a human being. This plant belongs to native's legends, but one was allegedly found in a swamp in Nicaragua. No samples were taken (probably due to fear, I suppose).
Rhodes Island, USA
The most curious case of all reported cases of carnivorous trees, this one features a well known tree, an apple tree. When Rhodes Island's founder, Roger Williams died, in the 1600s, he has non descript burials. Later, people thought such a Great Man deserved proper burials and memorials (that's the least people could do for someone like him, hum?). So, the Historical Society decided to exhume his body. To their horror, a root of the apple tree which was growing near the place where he was buried had entered the coffin and "consumed" the body (including bones). A part of this root is displayed in the cellar of the John Brown House. For me, that case simply shows a natural and normal case of a root eating at an easy "food-corner". If you go exhume bodies in cemetaries near trees, you'd be surprised to find some other (I haven't tried, and I don't suggest you to do so, but it's simply a hypothesis really plausable.)
SOURCES:http://www.interlog.com/~chapman/touring.htm
Living Wonders. Mysteries and curiosities of the animal world by John Mitchell and Robert J.M. Rickard. 1982.
Cryptozoologix 2001
