More than three years have passed since H.R. Giger left this world. The "master of nightmares" left us all kinds of disturbing and fascinating biomechanical images, blending horror, sex, mystery, instinct and technology as never seen before. Giger's work has served as inspiration for a great number of projects, including the creation of a hybrid carnivorous plant. "Nepenthes H.R. Giger" is a design by the Australian company Exotica Plants, and judging by its appearance, it definitely deserves to carry the Swiss artist's name.
The Story Behind the Name
The story goes that Alien writer Dan O'Bannon gave Ridley Scott a copy of H.R. Giger's book Necronomicon, and Scott chose the Necronom IV design as the basis for the brutal alien. O'Bannon had already worked with Giger on the failed adaptation of Dune that Alejandro Jodorowsky wanted to bring to the big screen, and when he first observed Giger's art he said he had never seen "something so horrible, and at the same time so beautiful". The rest is well known: Alien broke multiple rules, Giger won an Oscar, and his name reached everywhere... including a carnivorous plant.
Indeed, in October 2014, the Australian company Exotica Plants announced the creation of a new hybrid of the Nepenthes genus, also known as 'pitcher plant'. Nepenthes H.R. Giger is based on Nepenthes lowii and Nepenthes spectabilis, taking various characteristics from its 'parents', and in some cases achieving more exaggerated development. According to available information, the plant is as large as Nepenthes lowii, produces pitchers frequently, and has vines similar to Nepenthes spectabilis. It also prefers temperatures between temperate and cold.
Leaving aside technical details, Nepenthes H.R. Giger looks like a giant red vagina with teeth, and I think that says it all. Unfortunately we no longer have the master's opinion at our disposal, but the plant is shaping up to be a more than appropriate tribute.
