If you mean the real plant named for the Stranger Things monster, it is Prosopanche demogorgoni, a rare parasitic flowering plant described from southern Brazil. Its flower reminded the botanists who named it of the creature’s open mouth. That naming link does not establish that the plant inspired the show’s monster design.
What is Prosopanche demogorgoni?
Prosopanche demogorgoni is an accepted botanical species in the genus Prosopanche. It was formally described as a new species from southern Brazil in 2019. Kew’s Plants of the World Online lists it as native to Santa Catarina, a state in southern Brazil, and classifies it as a holoparasite—a plant that depends entirely on a host for nourishment.
The original description also identified it as the first recorded Prosopanche species for Santa Catarina and the Atlantic Forest region. The species description appeared in Phytotaxa 422(1), page 94; the International Plant Names Index records its publication date as 21 October 2019. IPNI’s nomenclatural record and Kew’s species entry document the name and its accepted status.
Why is it named after the Demogorgon?
The botanists who described the species explained the name by saying that the fictional monster’s mouth resembles the flower of P. demogorgoni. The name is therefore a reference to the flower’s appearance, not evidence that the plant played a role in creating the television character.
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The original peer-reviewed description gives the etymology and botanical diagnosis: Funez and colleagues’ 2019 species description in Phytotaxa. Its technical measurements distinguish the species from related Brazilian plants, but are not needed to identify the flower in ordinary conversation.
Is this the flower that inspired the Stranger Things monster?
That is not established by the available evidence. A Botanical Society of America educational transcript reports that character designer Aaron Sims described drawing inspiration from flower petals and the mouth of a snapping turtle. It does not name Prosopanche demogorgoni or identify any particular flower as the source. The secure connection is the reverse: botanists later named this plant for its resemblance to the fictional monster. The Botanical Society of America’s transcript discusses the reported design inspiration.
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Why does the real plant look so unusual?
Prosopanche plants spend most of their lives underground and are wholly parasitic; they lack leaves, and only part of the flower emerges above the soil. That genus-level description helps explain why the visible flower can seem stranger than an ordinary garden bloom. It is not a species-specific care guide: the genus’s life history and ecology still require further study. For more context, see the 2023 review “Prosopanche: A remarkable genus of parasitic plants”.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Are other flowers called Demogorgon flowers?
Sometimes, people use “Demogorgon flower” informally for a flower that looks like the creature’s toothed, open mouth. That visual comparison may be applied to unrelated plants, including Stapelia species or Hydnora africana. It does not make those plants Prosopanche demogorgoni, nor does it establish one of them as the definitive Demogorgon flower. For a botanical identification, use the scientific name.
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