PHA97: Dracula Trees

Location: Originated in Transylvania, have since been planted in relatively secluded woods around the world.

Status: Active.

Description and Behavior: Dracula Trees are anomalous carnivorous trees originally found in Transylvania, Romania. The initial population was destroyed, however additional instances have been planted in other regions by anomalously affected individuals. Physically, Dracula Trees resemble tall, thin tree trunks devoid of branches and ending in a hardened point at the top with the tallest recorded instance being about fifty feet (15.2 meters) tall. This makes the Dracula Trees look like tall wooden stakes, hence their being named after the infamous Vlad the Impaler who was also known as Vlad Dracula. They are not named after the likely fictional vampire. Underground these trees have extremely deep root systems that interlock if multiple specimens are in a relatively small area. It is unknown how deep these root systems go as their depth exceeds the limits of our equipment.

These trees are oftentimes attended to by small groups of people that are anomalously influenced by the trees themselves, likely by means of a highly fragrant sap Dracula Trees produce. The few people who have been released from this influence describe it as the trees granting them a feeling of ecstasy for following through on impulses that benefit the trees and a sense of dread for deliberately disobeying these impulses. Most of the tasks the trees have these affected persons conduct involve defending the tree from attackers and cleaning the tree and the surrounding area of pests, mold, and weeds. Dracula Trees are more than capable of feeding themselves. This is done by the tree using telekinetic abilities to ‘grab’ prey, specifically humans not under its control, that wander relatively nearby and pull them to itself. Once the prey is obtained, the Dracula Tree will hoist them into the air and impale them through the perineum on the point at the top of the plant. The point then opens; and a long, tongue-like appendage will start harvesting tissue from the inside of the still-living victim, pulling chunks into the tree to digest. The victim usually dies within the day, though the tree takes about three days to fully process the body.

Recommended Actions: Dracula Trees are incredibly dangerous plants, largely due to the fact little can be done to protect yourself from them. They have been known to ‘grab’ individuals from moving vehicles and from as far away as ten miles (16.1 km). Our recommendation is to attempt to hold onto an anchored object until either the tree gives up, or you find assistance. If you notice evidence of Dracula Tree activity, please alert the local authorities and us at PRAE so that a proper search can be conducted, and preventative measures undertaken. It seems the best way to mitigate the damage Dracula Trees can do is to build a large, sturdy mesh around it. This prevents any victims from being killed, and anomalously affected individuals do not attempt to interfere with the mesh as it does not imperil the tree. We also recommend an exclusion zone, if possible, for the area. Generally, we discourage the destruction of the anomalous due to unpredictability, however if there are no other options fire is incredibly effective.