When Plants Attack! Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Creature from the Pit

The horrible (but cute) Wolf Weeds are the pets of the evil Lady Adrasta, who uses them to keep her stranglehold on the metal resources of the planet Chloris. She grows the weeds in her personal nursery. They are controlled by her lackey the Huntsman, who orders them about by means of a whip. Poor Wolf Weeds!

Answer: The Zolfa-Thurans

This question refers to the story, 'Meglos'. Meglos - a xerophyte, or more specifically, a cactus - is the last of its race, the Zolfa-Thurans, of the planet Zolfa-Thura. It takes over the body of a human and disguises itself as the Doctor in order to steal the powerful dodecahedron that provides power for the planet Tigella. Meglos hires stupid mercenaries called Gaztaks to help it in this enterprise.

Answer: Varos

This is of course in 'Vengeance on Varos'. In an uncharacteristically violent display, the Doctor later sets a trap for two of the baddies in this story, luring them towards the tendrils and killing them. He also allows other characters to be gratuitously shot and drowned in an acid bath. Nasty!

Answer: In a slide of Winlett's blood

The Doctor's term 'schizophyte' is an archaic one, referring to the microorganisms we might now call cyanobacteria or, more commonly, blue-green algae. Winlett has these in his blood instead of blood platelets, as the Doctor and the botanist Stevenson can see through a microscope.

Answer: Strawberries

Strawberry is the flavour of choice for the duration of this adventure. Let's not forget that the fondant surprise is also dripping with cane sugar, as is the Kandyman himself. The Doctor has some luck with lemons too, using lemonade to stick the Kandyman's marshmallow feet to the floor while he makes his escape. Who knew plants were so dangerous?

Answer: black orchid

This question concerns the adventure 'Black Orchid', which tells the tale of botanist George Cranleigh, who collected the legendary flower on a trip up the Orinoco River. The Kojabe Indians of the region, who considered the black orchid to be sacred, cut out George's tongue, driving him mad. George, who is kept tied to a bed in a secret locked room at the family estate when the Doctor arrives, commits murder then falls to his death. Of course the plant didn't actually kill him, but his obsession with it did.

Answer: Plants squirt fungal spores onto her skin

Jo is sprayed with a toxic fungal liquid by some of the local plants. The plants also cover the TARDIS with the fungus, and the Doctor - who is still inside - nearly suffocates from a lack of oxygen as a result. Clearly an interesting symbiotic association between a plant and a fungus.

Answer: Genocide of the Vervoid race

In the third part of 'Trial', 'Terror of the Vervoids', The Doctor wipes out every last Vervoid in order to save the human race, after the Vervoids have gone on a killing spree of humans on the ship Hyperion III. The Valeyard accordingly accuses him of genocide.

Answer: Carrot juice

Perhaps it is Mel and her carrot juice (and her exercise bike, screaming, fashion sense, etc.) that should be on trial.

Answer: The Invasion of Time

This story is unique in showing enormous brick and concrete rooms running throughout the bowels of the TARDIS. We see a swimming pool ('the bathroom'), an art gallery, several enormous warehouses, and the conservatory, which is full of vegetation. It is unknown why the Doctor would cultivate an enormous carnivorous plant in the TARDIS for any stray companions to get eaten by.

Answer: Peri

It is Peri, in 'Timelash'. Early in the story, botanist Peri takes an interest in the indigenous flora of the planet Karfel, but is warned away when told that the plants spit acid. Again, why did the locals put them there? This is one of the few times we are actually reminded that Peri is a botanist. The Doctor doesn't really make the most of her skills.

Answer: Victoria's screams

While oxygen is thought to be dangerous to the weed creature, it is Victoria's screams that are ultimately used to defeat it! Victoria saves her own life several times by screaming, and in the end, the Doctor records her screams and sends the amplified sound waves down the pipeline to kill the creature.

Answer: The Keys of Marinus

This was in the episode 'The Screaming Jungle'. Susan is adversely affected by the screaming jungle more than the others because she is telepathic. She cannot bear the evil screeching sound of the jungle in her head, and is overwhelmed. Then she is attacked by a creeper and makes an unpleasant screeching sound herself.

But Barbara and Ian are not out of danger. When they get trapped inside a mysterious walled temple, the vegetation starts to make noise and take over the room. Our heroes only just make it out alive, although a creeper strangles a scientist living inside the temple.

Answer: Leela

Perhaps Leela's second favourite weapon (after her knife) is the Janis thorn, indigenous to her home planet. She uses it with great skill and a blowpipe in 'The Face of Evil' and 'The Talons of Weng Chiang'.

Answer: Landmines in a forest

In 'The Mark of the Rani', the Rani lays her mine field in Redfern Dell, where Peri goes to collect some herbs (another rare display of Peri's botanical skills). Local boy Luke steps on a mine and - poof! - becomes a tree. He uses one of his branches cleverly to hold Peri, preventing her from the same fate.

Answer: He manipulates Earth's weather so it becomes hostile to the pods

The Doctor commandeers a local weather control station and makes it rain on the pods. The pods, it seems, can't cope with water, and die. The Ice Warriors must be really thick to try and invade a planet whose surface is 70 percent water. But we can't blame it on 1960s ignorance: that was also the plot of the recent blockbuster movie, 'Signs'.

Answer: daffodil

These deadly flowers spray plastic over the mouth and nose of a human face when activated. Jo cops a spray in the UNIT lab, and almost suffocates, before the Doctor sprays the plastic with a hardening agent and is able to remove it in a single piece.

Answer: Daleks

The Fungoids are found in 'The Chase'. They look like big fluffy palm tree-mushroom hybrids. Vicki becomes terrified of them and passes out. The Daleks detect them to be hostile, so try to exterminate them, making them wince away off camera. They really aren't that scary.

But Barbara does get overexcited in one scene when she finds a weapon to use against them, and gets on one knee to make shooting noises, pretending to fire it. Go Babs!

Answer: Apples

This happens in 'Kinda'. After dreaming alone, Tegan becomes possessed by the Mara, and awakens into a drunken seductive evil mood. She climbs a tree and drops apples on the head of a Kinda, Aris, whom she later 'infects' with the Mara.

Answer: A spider

The scary Marshspiders with glowing eyes are Adric's distant relatives from 'Full Circle'. In a classic display of terrible special effects, the spider jumps on Romana's face and bites her, infecting her with a mind-control disease that makes her do bad things like let Marshmen into the Starliner.