This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn Nathan is again taking us tough travelling.  This week we’re looking at

UNIQUE FLORA

Self-explanatory. If you know of a plant that is either not on earth, or doesn’t act the same way in fantasyland as it does on earth, then you can consider it unique. Have fun.

Threads from the Dragonriders of Pern books by Anne McCaffrey.  This was the first thing that came to mind (thankfully something came to mind).  Threads are spores that rain down upon the planet – not all the time but in cycles (I think – somebody feel free to chuck me a clue here) and basically cause terrible destruction.  Left to their own devices I think the planet would be in a pretty bad way but fortunately there are dragons and dragonriders to help with the gardening duties!

Talking flowers – not something you see every day – Alice – Through the Looking Glass by C S Lewis

Triffids from Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham – I should think this doesn’t need an explanation – but basically these plants are mobile, they can communicate with each other and they have poisonous stings.

The Forest of Fighting Trees from The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum.  They’re trees.  There’s enough to warrant calling them a forest – and they fight!!  Well, they throw things at you anyway.

Yggdrasil – a tree from Norse mythology – encountered by me in the book Hammered by Kevin Hearne where the main character, Atticus, has to climb the tree on the back of a giant squirrel – he’s going on a quest.

Honorable mentions:

Harry Potter – Gillyweed – I would definitely try this – swimming underwater made easy!

Lord of the Rings – Fanghorn Forest – okay, this is maybe a cheat but this forest does seem to have a mind of it’s own so it’s having a mention.