The Origins of 33 Plant Pokemon & the 8 Animals Hiding Among Them

Plants stand still and wait for water. These Pokemon scream and trap bugs instead.

Here's every plant Pokemon:

All 33 Plant Pokemon

#043

Oddish

Oddish is the Weed Pokemon, and it is based on the mandrake, a plant whose roots sometimes look like human figures. Its habit of screaming when yanked out of the ground matches the myth that a mandrake lets out a deadly cry when uprooted. Its round body also resembles onions, radishes and turnips.

It stays in the cold underground during the day to avoid the sun and grows by bathing in moonlight. Its Chlorophyll ability doubles its Speed in strong sunlight, which is an odd talent for something that hides from the sun. An ability is a passive effect that works on its own in battle.

#044

Gloom

Gloom is the Weed Pokemon too. It is based on the mandrake and on the budding stage of Rafflesia, a parasitic plant known for large, foul-smelling flowers. Its smell when threatened comes from Rafflesia's rotting flesh odor, and its pungent pollen being made into perfume may reference musk, a perfume ingredient that smells unpleasant in high concentrations.

What looks like drool is sweet honey that sticks stubbornly if touched. Nobody has asked for a receipt on that honey.

#069

Bellsprout

Bellsprout is the Flower Pokemon and is based on carnivorous pitcher plants, particularly those of the Nepenthes genus. It may also be based on bellflowers, since the Japanese name of Violet City, home of Sprout Tower, means Chinese bellflower, and it may also be based on the mandrake.

It prefers hot and humid places and ensnares tiny bugs with its vines. It stands 0.7 m tall and weighs 4 kg.

#070

Weepinbell

Weepinbell is the Flycatcher Pokemon and may be based on carnivorous pitcher plants, which explains the open mouth. When hungry it swallows anything that moves and dissolves its hapless prey in strong acids. It is 1 m tall and weighs 6.4 kg.

#071

Victreebel

Victreebel is the full pitcher plant. It may be based on carnivorous pitcher plants, and the blue lips of its Shiny form may reference how a pitcher plant's rim turns blue under UV light (a Shiny is a rare alternate coloring). Mega Victreebel may be based on the lower traps of the Nepenthes genus, which are larger and sit on the ground. A Mega Evolution is a temporary stronger form a Pokemon takes in battle.

It lures prey with the sweet aroma of honey and dissolves it in a day, bones and all. (We will skip the honey.) It stands 1.7 m tall and weighs 15.5 kg.

#114

Tangela

Tangela is the Vine Pokemon, and nobody has seen what is under the vines. That mystery may point to the swamp monster in Theodore Sturgeon's short story It!, to the Sargassum seaweed monsters of William Hope Hodgson, and to Medusa, since its beta name was Meduza. It may also be a Green Man, a face surrounded by leaves and vines.

It is cloaked entirely in blue vines that stop anyone glimpsing its true identity, and the vines are useful as a spice. It stands 1 m tall and weighs 35 kg.

#152

Chikorita

Chikorita is the Leaf Pokemon, and its body is closer to an animal than a plant, since it is based on a sauropod. Its shape also alludes to a pear or a Belgian endive, a type of chicory. Persephone, the Greek goddess of spring and agriculture, may be part of the design too.

It waves its leaf around to keep the foe at bay while a sweet fragrance from the leaf calms the battling Pokemon. It is 0.9 m tall and weighs 6.4 kg. Its Overgrow ability strengthens Grass moves to 1.5× damage when it is at one third of its HP or less. HP is a Pokemon's health.

#182

Bellossom

Bellossom is the Flower Pokemon and is based on a stereotypical hula dancer. The leaves around its body resemble a grass skirt, which tourism popularized in Hawaii, and the flowers on its head resemble plumeria, which people wear in the hair and string into leis.

It and its kin gather at times and appear to dance, in a ritual to summon the sun. It stands 0.4 m tall and weighs 5.8 kg. Its hidden ability Healer has a 30% chance of curing an adjacent ally of a major status problem after each turn. A hidden ability is a rarer ability that only some of a species have.

#185

Sudowoodo

Sudowoodo is the Imitation Pokemon, and the plant in it is petrified wood, wood that fossilized over time. That explains its pure Rock type, since the organic material in petrified wood is replaced with minerals.

Its body feels more like rock than tree bark to the touch. It stands 1.2 m tall and weighs 38 kg. Its Rock Head ability protects it from recoil damage.

#188

Skiploom

Skiploom is the Cottonweed Pokemon and is based on a bulb and a flower, specifically a dandelion. Its body also slightly resembles a dog and a cat.

Its flower blossoms when the temperature rises above 64 degrees Fahrenheit, so it is sometimes used as a thermometer. (We would still trust it over the thermometer in a rental kitchen.) It is 0.6 m tall and weighs 1 kg.

#191

Sunkern

Sunkern is the Seed Pokemon, and it is based on a sunflower seed. It tries to move as little as it can to save the nutrients it has stored for its evolution and subsists only on morning dew.

It has 30 in every stat, which gives it one of the three lowest base stat totals of any Pokemon at 180, and it still conserves energy. It stands 0.3 m tall and weighs 1.8 kg.

#331

Cacnea

Cacnea is the Cactus Pokemon, and it may be based on a barrel cactus and possibly a jack-o'-lantern. The flower on its head resembles a crown.

The more arid and harsh its environment, the prettier and more fragrant the flower it grows, and it battles by wildly swinging its thorny arms. It stands 0.4 m tall and weighs 51.3 kg, which is heavy for a plant that small. Its Sand Veil ability raises its evasion to 1.25× during a sandstorm. A sandstorm is a weather condition that fills the battlefield with sand.

#413

Wormadam

Wormadam is a bug in a plant's clothes. It is based on a female bag moth, a moth that never develops wings and stays in its cocoon for life. Its antenna and bag may also draw on Baba Yaga, whose flying mortar and pestle and broom they resemble, and its Plant Cloak form may draw on the Slavic Forest Mother, Gorska Maika.

When Burmy evolved, its cloak became part of its body and is never shed. It stands 0.5 m tall and weighs 6.5 kg. It never has to pack for a trip.

#421

Cherrim

Cherrim is the Blossom Pokemon. Its reaction to light is based on photonastic flowers, and its Sunshine Form resembles cherry blossoms, flowers that are symbolic of Japan. Its Overcast Form resembles the bud of a fuchsia flower.

It is motionless save for the occasional quiver, while a rich array of Pokemon gather around it, drawn by the scent from its folded petals. It stands 0.5 m tall and weighs 9.3 kg. Its Flower Gift ability raises its allies' Attack and Special Defense to 1.5× in strong sunlight.

#438

Bonsly

Bonsly is the Bonsai Pokemon. It is based on a bonsai tree, a miniature tree grown in a small pot, and on petrified wood. Its flowerpot resembles a diaper and it cries a lot, like a toddler.

Do not be fooled by its tears, which are only a physiological mechanism for keeping itself in good health. It is 0.5 m tall and weighs 15 kg.

#455

Carnivine

Carnivine is the Bug Catcher Pokemon and is based on a Venus flytrap. Although it is a plant Pokemon, it has a gluttonous and unruly temperament, and that it attacks with its cavernous maw wide open. It stands 1.4 m tall and weighs 27 kg. Its Levitate ability lets it evade Ground moves, a trick most plants never learn.

#465

Tangrowth

Tangrowth is the grown-up Vine Pokemon. It may be based on the swamp monster in Theodore Sturgeon's story It!, which turns out to have formed around a human skeleton. Because it evolves thanks to the move Ancient Power, it may also borrow from a shaggy caveman. Its vines binding everything around them may reference thigmotropism, the way plants coil around objects they touch.

It is draped with long vines that resemble a shrub and swings bundles of them like arms to wrap prey. It stands 2 m tall and weighs 128.6 kg. Its hidden ability Regenerator heals a third of its HP when it switches out.

#495

Snivy

Snivy is the Grass Snake Pokemon, and it is based on a snake, possibly the vine snake, tree snake or green snake. The shape of its head, body and shoulders may come from the bird of paradise flower, also called Strelitzia, which is named after Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and fits its regal theme.

It can photosynthesize by bathing its tail in sunlight, and the tail droops when it is not feeling well. It is 0.6 m tall and weighs 8.1 kg.

#496

Servine

Servine is the same snake with more decoration. It is based on a snake, and its physical features resemble acanthus leaf motifs popularized during the Renaissance.

When it gets dirty its leaves cannot be used in photosynthesis, so it always keeps itself clean. It stands 0.8 m tall and weighs 16 kg.

#497

Serperior

Serperior is the Regal Pokemon, and it is based on a snake, possibly the vine snake, tree snake or green snake. Its ability to amplify sunlight inside its body may allude to King Louis XIV of France, who called himself the Sun King. Its white face may reference the skin whitening fashion among 17th century European aristocrats.

It can stop its opponents' movements with just a glare. It stands 3.3 m tall and weighs 63 kg. Its hidden ability Contrary inverts stat changes, so a move that would lower its stats raises them.

#541

Swadloon

Swadloon is the Leaf-Wrapped Pokemon, and it is an insect inside a leaf. It is based on the pupa of a leaf-rolling insect, which folds leaves over itself for camouflage and shelter. It also resembles a walking leaf and the nest of weaver ants. Its Evolution into Leavanny, caused by friendship, may be a lesson, since Leavanny's Japanese name is two kana away from hikikomori.

It protects itself from the cold by wrapping up in leaves. It is 0.5 m tall and weighs 7.3 kg.

#548

Petilil

Petilil is the Bulb Pokemon, and it is based on the bulb of a Liliaceae plant, most likely a tulip. Its Shiny color may come from yellow onion or golden garlic bulbs.

The leaves on its head are highly valued as medicine, and drinking the bitter decoction made from them gives effective relief from fatigue. It stands 0.5 m tall and weighs 6.6 kg. Its Own Tempo ability prevents confusion.

#549

Lilligant

Lilligant is the Flowering Pokemon and is based on a lily. Its crown and dress may come from Western high-class women's fashion in 1750 to 1775, and it could also be a ballroom dancer, since its lower body resembles a ball gown and several moves it learns by leveling up are dance moves. The Hisuian form may use Allium victorialis, a wild onion important to the Ainu people.

Its well-developed legs may come from a life spent on mountains covered in deep snow. It stands 1.1 m tall and weighs 16.3 kg.

#556

Maractus

Maractus is the Cactus Pokemon, and it is based on a flowering cactus, most likely the prickly pear, and a maraca. It also resembles a rabbit and may be a visual pun on the bunny ears cactus.

Once a year it scatters its seeds, which are jam-packed with nutrients and a precious food source in the desert. It stands 1 m tall and weighs 28 kg. Its Water Absorb ability heals a quarter of its HP when a Water move hits it.

#597

Ferroseed

Ferroseed is the Thorn Seed Pokemon and is based on plants whose seeds stick to clothing, such as cockleburs and burdocks. It may also be based on durians, or on a mace or flail.

Mossy caves are its preferred home, and enzymes in moss help its spikes grow big and strong. It stands 0.6 m tall and weighs 18.8 kg. Its Iron Barbs ability damages anything that hits it with a contact move for an eighth of that Pokemon's max HP.

#598

Ferrothorn

Ferrothorn is the Thorn Pod Pokemon. It is based on plants whose seeds stick to clothing. The Tribulus is a thorny plant whose name also refers to caltrops, the thorny metal traps used to slow down invading troops. Its vines resemble military flails.

Its spikes are harder than steel and it crawls across rock walls by stabbing them into the stone. It is 1 m tall and weighs 110 kg. Climbing rock walls on spikes is a hobby we would not recommend.

#691

Dragalge

Dragalge is the Mock Kelp Pokemon, a seaweed that is a Poison and Dragon type instead of a Grass type. It is based on a leafy seadragon, with a shape close to a weedy seadragon, and both animals mimic aquatic foliage as camouflage. Rotting seaweed releases highly toxic gas and can cause poisonings.

It generates dragon energy by sticking the plume on its head out above the ocean's surface and bathing it in sunlight. It stands 1.8 m tall and weighs 81.5 kg.

#753

Fomantis

Fomantis is the Sickle Grass Pokemon. It may be based on an orchid flower and on the orchid mantis, reversing the relationship between them. The real orchid mantis is an insect that imitates an orchid, and Fomantis is an orchid that imitates the insect.

It basks in sunlight and sleeps peacefully during the day, then wakes and moves around at night. It stands 0.3 m tall and weighs 1.5 kg.

#829

Gossifleur

Gossifleur is the Flowering Pokemon, and it is inspired by the cotton plant, specifically its flower. It also draws on a purported legend, heard by Sword and Shield director Shigeru Ohmori, that catching floating cotton balls brings good luck.

It whirls around in the wind while singing a joyous song, a display that has charmed many into raising it. It stands 0.4 m tall and weighs 2.2 kg. Its Defense and Special Defense are both 60.

#830

Eldegoss

Eldegoss is the Cotton Bloom Pokemon. It resembles the seedpods of the Anemone genus, such as the windflower, and it may also be based on stereotypical depictions of elderly women, with its fluff taken from an afro haircut.

Its cotton can be spun into a glossy, gorgeous yarn, a Galar regional specialty. It stands 0.5 m tall and weighs 2.5 kg. Its Regenerator ability heals a third of its HP when it switches out.

#946

Bramblin

Bramblin is the Tumbleweed Pokemon, and it is based on tumbleweeds, plants that dry out and die when mature so the wind can carry their seeds, which explains its Ghost type. It may also be the Alicornio, a demon from the folklore of Murcia in southern Spain that hides in a tumbleweed on windy days to snatch the souls of passersby.

Not even Bramblin knows where it is headed as it tumbles across the wilderness, and it loathes getting wet. A Pokemon that hates water and travels by wind needs very specific weather. It stands 0.6 m tall and weighs 0.6 kg. Its Wind Rider ability makes it immune to wind moves and raises its Attack by one stage when one hits it.

#947

Brambleghast

Brambleghast is the grown Tumbleweed Pokemon and, like Bramblin, may be based on the Alicornio. Some tumbleweed species cause outbreaks, like the hairy panic. Its Paldean origin may nod to the many Spaghetti Westerns filmed in Spain.

It wanders around arid regions, and on rare occasions mass outbreaks of them bury an entire town. It stands 1.2 m tall and weighs 6 kg.

#952

Scovillain

Scovillain is the Spicy Pepper Pokemon, and it is based on a chili pepper plant. The red head is a ripe, mature chili and the green head is an immature chili that is not as pungent. The heads are shaped like the habanero, and the Carolina Reaper was the spiciest chili in the world when Scovillain debuted.

The green head has turned vicious because the spicy chemicals stimulate its brain, and once it goes on a rampage there is no stopping it. It stands 0.9 m tall and weighs 15 kg. Its Attack and Special Attack are both 108. (We know that mood after bad takeout.)

Eight of the 33 Are Animals Dressed as Plants

Eight of the 33 plant Pokemon are animals first. Chikorita is based on a sauropod and Dragalge on a leafy seadragon. Snivy and its two evolutions are snakes, Wormadam is a bag moth and Swadloon is a leaf-rolling insect pupa.

Fomantis is the eighth, and it reverses the relationship between a flower and an insect. The orchid mantis is an insect that looks like an orchid, and Fomantis is an orchid that looks like the mantis.

Plant Pokemon FAQ

How many plant Pokemon are there?

There are 33 plant Pokemon, from weeds and cacti to a tumbleweed and a chili pepper.

What is the strongest plant Pokemon?

Tangrowth, with a base stat total of 535. Serperior follows at 528 and Dragalge at 494.

Is Oddish a plant?

Yes. Oddish is based on the mandrake, a plant whose roots sometimes look like human figures.

Is Dragalge a Grass type?

No. Dragalge is a Poison and Dragon type, based on a leafy seadragon that imitates seaweed.