Laganaphyllis simnovorii
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The Laganaphyllis Simnovorii (commonly known as the Cowplant) is a bizarre bovine vegetation that is large enough to swallow a Sim whole. The Cowplant is the career reward for the Natural Science career in The Sims 2.
Although not the Laganaphyllis Simnovorii in The Sims 2, a similar plant appeared in The Sims Bustin' Out for console. Simply called the "mutant plant", it may be a relative or precursor of the Cowplant.
In The Sims 3, the Cowplant appears as buyable, non-living statue. It can also be seen on the gardening channel eating Florence Delarosa. The Cowplant is set to make its return to The Sims 3 as premium content from the online store.
The Cowplant makes a return in The Sims Social where it is currently on sale in the shop at the price of 500 Social Points.
Toddlers and children cannot interact with the Cowplant aside from the children being able to feed and milk it. They cannot take the vine-cake that the Cowplant offers.
Feeding
It can be fed by clicking on it and selecting "Feed". When this is done, the Sim will take out a Leg 'O' Lamb (this costs §35) and throw it to the plant; sometimes playing with it or teasing it first. This action is not automatic. Household Sims will ignore the plant unless it kills someone or the player directs them to interact with it.
However, it will eat innocent Sims for lunch if not fed every 12 Sim hours. The Cowplant sticks a slice of cake out on its tongue, luring the Sim close to the plant. Then, it eats the Sim. The Sim dies immediately, but unusually, the Grim Reaper doesn't appear. The grave just appears next to the Cowplant. A memory pops up in the memory box about this action. The Cowplant will not eat Sims who stink due to low hygiene, even if they were told to take the cake.
This is a quick and easy way to kill off unwanted Sims. Controllable Sims can be ordered to "Grab Cake", and will die if not stopped.
If Open for Business is installed, the Cowplant can eat a Servo. This is one of the few ways in which a Servo can die.
Milking
After a Cowplant has its lunch (a Sim), members of the owner's household can milk the plant. The "milk' is actually a life-extending drink similar to the Elixir of Life, extending the Sim's lifespan by five days.
Some Sims have a want to 'drink' a certain Sim that they are unhappy with. This refers to that Sim drinking the life essence of the offending Sim using the Cowplant. Drinking a Sim gives the drinker a special memory.
Other references
The final class in the Biology major is entitled "Senior Thesis: The Laganaphyllis Simnovorii".
In The Sims 3, the Science career's 5th level is "Carnivorous Plant Tender". There is also a little stone statue of a Cowplant in the Goth Manor.
If Bon Voyage has been installed, Sims can go to the witch doctor's house in Twikki Island, where he has a tablet on the wall showing the Cowplant. Also, the hidden lot description says that the lot is standing ground against something...
Trivia
The Cowplant is reminiscent of Audrey II, the plant in the 1986 comedy horror film Little Shop of Horrors, starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin. People on YouTube use the plant for spoofs of the film[citation needed].
In terms of color, the Cowplant also resembles the Tomeato (A crossbreed of the tomato plant, and a cow, which grew into a square shaped fruit) from The Dilbert Animated series. However, the Tomeato was designed as a harvestable crop which was easy to stack (Due to its rectangular shape), while the Laganaphyllis Simnovorii is a carnivorous plant.