The hangman tree is a carnivorous, predatory tree that takes its name from how it captures its prey. It resembles an oak tree with a thick trunk with long leafy vines and tendrils that dangle from its branches. Above its trunk is an opening much like a giant maw lined with rows of sharp teeth that look like carved wooden tusks.

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Garotte-like Tendrils.

The hangman tree waits till prey is directly underneath its vines. It then releases its poisonous spores, which weaken those that unsuspectingly breathe them in. The hangman tree then attacks its prey by snatching them with its tendrils, wrapping around a victim's neck like a tightening noose. The target is then reeled upwards by the hangman tree and deposited into its mouth, where it is eaten and swallowed whole. A victim is usually already dead from asphyxiation by the time it reaches the hangman tree's mouth.

Ambush Hunter.

The hangman tree grows in temperate and subtropical forests, swamps, and woodland areas. It picks a spot to root where it feels there is most traffic, such as beside an animal trail, river crossing, or a road.