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While exploring the Mindanao region of the Philippines, a planter from Mississippi came across a dark gray colored tree that stood 35 feet and was 80 to 100 feet in diameter, surrounded by human bones and emitted a foul smelling odor like carrion. The planter noticed a human skull lying underneath the shade of the tree and went in to further investigate. As soon as he was about to investigate, his guide suddenly stopped him and pointed at the tree in panic. The planter was soon horrified to discover that the tree had a branch reaching for him.

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Account[]

The account appeared titled as “Escaped From the Embrace of the Man-Eating Tree,” in the American Weekly, Jan. 4, 1925 where it was written thus:

"The whole thing had changed shape and was horribly alive and alert. The dull, heavy leaves had sprung from their compact formation and were coming at him from all directions, advancing on the ends of long vine-like stems which stretched across like the necks of innumerable geese and, now that the old man had stopped his screaming, the air was full of hissing sounds. The leaves did not move straight at their target, but with a graceful, side-to-side sway, like a cobra about to strike. From the far side, the distant leaves were peeping and swaying on their journey around the trunk and even the tree top was bending down to join in the attack. The bending of the trunk was spasmodic and accompanied by sharp cracks.

The effect of this advancing and swaying mass of green objects was hypnotic, like the charm movements of a snake. Bryant could not move, though the nearest leaf was within an inch of his face. He could see that it was armed with sharp spines on which a liquid was forming. He saw the heavy leaf curve like a green-mittened hand, and as it brushed his eyebrows in passing he got the smell of it — the same animal smell that hung in the surrounding air. Another instant and the thing would have had his eyes in its sticky, prickly grasp, but either his weakness or the brown man’s strength threw them both on their backs. The charm was broken. They crawled out of the circle of death and lay panting in the grass while the malignant plant, cracking and hissing, yearned and stretched and thrashed to get at them."

The tree may have been infested with many snakes causing the illusion of a living tree with whipping branches/

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