Venomous Tentacula

Venomous Tentacula
Species information
Alternative names	Venemous Tentacula Venomous Tentacular
Sentience	Sentient to unknown degree
Stem	Green/brown in colour
Leaves	Green in colour Stinging nettles
Diet	Chizpurfles Doxies Humans
Distinction(s)	Spiky, and red in colour Mobile vines Biting teeth Strong Jaw Venomous bite Produces poisonous juice Carnivorous
Usage	Pets Weapons Potion-making
Status	Extant

"It was a relief to get out into the greenhouses; they were dealing with more dangerous plants than ever in Herbology but at least they were still allowed to swear loudly if the Venomous Tentacula seized them unexpectedly from behind."

— Harry Potter's opinion on sixth-year Herbology lessons

The Venomous Tentacula (alternatively spelled Venemous Tentacula or Venomous Tentacular) was a green, spiky, toothsome magical plant with mobile vines that tried to grab living prey.

Description

"Four to a tray — there is a large supply of pots here — compost in the sacks over there — and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething."

— Professor Pomona Sprout to second-years during a Herbology lesson

A typical species of Venomous Tentacula

The Venomous Tentacula expelled venom from its shoots, and its spikes were deadly. Its bite was highly venomous and could easily stun or kill. Its juice was also a less than lethal poison.

This dangerous plant was used for student research in Herbology classes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and they were taught and handled practically in the sixth year. Students were permitted to swear loudly if a Tentacula tried to strangle them during lessons.

The Venomous Tentacula had a giant eyeless head with fangs, though the shape of its mouth tended to vary, along with the many leaves surrounding it. It also had many large vines as appendages that acted like arms, which may or may not have also had separate heads of their own at the ends. The Severing Charm could be used to both stun the plant and sever its vines.

Occasionally, aside from biting, some forms of the plant could also fire spiky spore-like balls from their mouths at their targets. The Venomous Tentacula ate Chizpurfles, spitting out the carapace of one once they had eaten it.

Uses

Venomous Tentacula seeds were a Class C non-tradable substance. Despite this, they were often kept as pets. They emitted a faint rattling noise even if they were completely stationary.

The leaves of the plant were highly valuable potion ingredients, and essence of the plant was also used as an ingredient in the poisonous Potion N. 07. According to Horace Slughorn, the leaves were worth ten galleons a piece.

The plant also secreted a poisonous juice. The juice was a colourless, non-fatal poison, but caused those who drank it to have a "burning" sensation inside them, and would turn their skin bright purple in colour.

History

In or prior to 1890, the wizard criminal Ackley Barnes partnered with Alfred Lawley, a professional Herbologist to establish a legitimate business which sold Venomous Tentaculas. However, the partnership was shattered after the two fell out, with Barnes enlisting the help of a Hogwarts student to steal a special Venomous Tentacula from Lawley's underground greenhouse as revenge.

The 6 December 1926 morning edition of The New York Ghost featured an article about a tenement burglary that was foiled when the culprit was ensnared by a Venomous Tentacula. Elphinstone Urquart of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Minerva McGonagall's husband, was killed by a bite from a Venomous Tentacula in 1985. Derwent Shimpling was famous for eating an entire Venomous Tentacula and surviving, although his skin was left permanently purple. In the 1990s, Pomona Sprout, the Herbology Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, owned a garden on the school grounds which contained numerous different plants, including Venomous Tentaculas.

During the 1986–1987 school year, Jae Kim asked Jacob's sibling to retrieve a bag of Venomous Tentacula seeds that Argus Filch had confiscated. This was his price for for his help in searching for a replacement for a valuable statue in the Dragon Clubhouse that Jacob's sibling and Diego Caplan had accidentally destroyed. This was accomplished by Tulip Karasu who threw a dungbomb at Filch in the Clock Tower Courtyard, causing Filch to drop the seeds as he fled.

During the 1987–1988 school year, Nymphadora Tonks sneaked out after curfew and borrowed Pomona Sprout's biggest Venomous Tentacula from the greenhouse without permission, after which she walked down one of the school's corridors to set it under the Hogwarts Caretaker Argus Filch's desk but instead fell on her face and inadvertently tossed the plant into the Potions Classroom, where it grabbed Professor Severus Snape and would have killed him had he not doused it in every bottle of Herbicide Potion on the shelf.

In 1995, Fred and George Weasley purchased Tentacula seeds off Mundungus Fletcher for their Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products. In 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville Longbottom and Pomona Sprout used Venomous Tentaculas as weapons against the invading Death Eaters. Neville most notably came charging out of nowhere into the Entrance Hall brandishing armfuls of the deadly plant, which was most delighted at the opportunity to attack the Death Eaters.

The unidentified student and Lottie clearing the Venomous Tentaculas

Around Hallowe'en 2010, some Venomous Tentaculas grew around some pumpkins that students were helping Rubeus Hagrid replant. An unidentified student and Lottie Turner used a spell to clear them up. The unidentified student thought it was possible that the bag of Mooncalf dung that Cassandra Vole had given them contained Tentacula seeds, so that when the dung was used on the pumpkins, the Tentaculas grew as well.

Behind the scenes

Venomous Tentacula (Trading Card)

• In several of the video games, the Venomous Tentaculas live in some parts of the grounds and are portrayed as man-eating plants with large mouths; some adaptations of them may actually bite nearby victims, while others may have other means of trying to strike people (such as using their vines or spitting out spiky ball-like pods). The said pods bounce about and can be hit by spells. The Tentacula can also get burned up by the Fire-Making Spell, or in both the Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets video game (console versions), can be stunned for a while if all its vines are cut with the Severing Charm.
  • Several differing depictions of the plant often vary in both size and colouration, as well as the form of its mouth. It is often noted that doxies are also part of their diet in the video games; in the GBA version of Philosopher's Stone, luring one towards a Tentacula is the only way to get rid of them (and in that said port, the Tentacula are completely invincible to spells, something which is contradicted in other game adaptations).
  • The console versions of Prisoner of Azkaban is one other adaptation to mention the Tentacula's other favourite food being Chizpurfles, which with the use of Ron's Lumos Duo charm can be lured towards a Tentacula (which cannot be damaged by any spells whatsoever in said game version) to have it consume one and spit out its carapace for collecting (for potion ingredients). Venomous Tentacula's bites are one of the only things strong enough in existence to be able to separate a Chizpurfle from its carapace.
  • In the PC version of Chamber of Secrets, Venomous Tentacula happen to be somewhat mobile, being able to use their leaves to crawl along the ground (whereas other adaptations have them stationary instead).
  • In the Xbox and Gamecube versions of Chamber of Secrets, only two Venomous Tentacula ever appear as a unique enemy within one of the Herbology Greenhouses housing the Severing Charm/Diffindo spell book. Curiously, they remain inactive/non-hostile towards Harry only until he collects the spell book and learns the charm. The Tentacula in this case have vines that pop out from the soil around them and use those as their only means of attack, but the vines can be severed with the Severing Charm which stun the plant it belongs to (but it will regrow them at some point).
    • However, if all vines of a single Tentacular can be severed, the plant is then defenceless with its mouth agape and can be picked up by Harry and thrown to be disposed of like a Puffapod or Horklump (this is the only instance where Harry can even pick up one in the first place). Getting rid of both Tentacula not only permanently de-spawns them for the rest of the current playthrough of the game, but also rewards Harry with the Helga Hufflepuff card.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (Mentioned in a newspaper)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Pottermore
• Wizarding World
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Hogwarts Legacy