The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary

By Crusader1307

Seen now as a common hoax, The ''Vegetable Lamb of Tartary'' was a 17th Century presumed discovery of a strange plant that when flowering produced a Lamb. Said to have existed only in Central Asia, The Lamb Plant, after flowering allowed the Lamb to graze all around the perimeter of the plant. Connected to an umbilical-like cord, the Lamb collected nourishment and transferred such to the plant. After all surrounding foliage was consumed, both Lamb and Plant would die. Possibly related to a Fern species which produced a furry tumor which resembled a miniature ''lamb'', The ''Vegetable Lamb'' was actually sought after as a possible food source once. The tale can also be traced back to the 14th Century AD, when no doubt species were discovered by early European Explorers to Central Asia fed by local ''tall tales''.