the earliest known depiction of carnivorous plants in popular culture was a case wherein a large man-eating tree was reported to have consumed a young woman in madagascar in 1878. the "south australian register" carried the story in 1881. it was accompanied by an illustration of the tree consuming the woman, said to be a member from the "little known but cruel tribe" called the mkodos. the story was attributed to a dr. carl liche who supposedly witnessed the event. the account has been debunked as pure myth as it appears dr. liche, the mkodos, and the tree were all fabrications.