Strangler plant

Strangler plants or strangler vines are mutated plants native to the Mire.

Background
After the explosion and core meltdown of Vault 94's G.E.C.K., a thick fog poured from the vault's entrance and down into the surrounding forest. It rapidly changed the area into a swampy environment and infested the region with strangler vines, transforming the area into the Mire.

Strangler vines piqued the interest of the Appalachian Enclave who began research on the vines when researching wild life post-War. The Enclave first set up a field laboratory at Tanagra Town. The field laboratory quickly collapsed and all of the research was destroyed by an Enclave researcher who presumably went insane. When the Enclave found out about the collapse of the lab, they sent a search team to recover any remaining research material, as well as seed pods of the strangler vines. The seed pods would then be brought to the Enclave research facility, where the researchers would quickly note their remarkably fast growth rate (by 2103, the strangler vines have snaked into the pipe systems of the facility) and further note that examining the vines caused "a sense of euphoria" and their researchers further hearing "incomprehensible voices."

In 2104, the Vault Dweller had to pass large sets of strangler vines blocking passages in Bysshe Company's secret, underground natural gas pipeline facility in Harpers Ferry tunnel. To achieve this, the Vault Dweller would utilize a strong herbicide developed by the Bysshe employees prior to weaken the vines enough to allow them to be cut or shot down.

Characteristics
Strangler plant vines are notorious climbers and are a ubiquitous aspect of nearly every location in the Mire, either leisurely growing or destroying and elevating structures. They have been known to spread to areas such as the neighboring homesteads and were able to grow in isolated captivity at the Enclave research facility. Strangler vines are strong enough to displace inanimate objects such as vehicles and cargo crates, and are very difficult to cut. With time, they can tear apart and lift buildings or, in the case of Tanagra Town, significantly raise entire portions of land.

Strangler vines are thick, red-orange vines controlled by strangler hearts in the area. They infest and attach themselves to living things, including the region's large trees. The vines wrap around and burrow into the trees, leaving patches of visible pores and small barnacle-like growths. On infected organisms (namely trees), the vines may grow and produce strangler pods. When mixed with other ingredients, these pods can be used to create compounds with significant healing properties such as super stimpaks.

The vines also have the ability to infect and control creatures, including mirelurks and feral ghouls. Infected creatures act as a hive mind and work to defend the strangler heart. Once a nearby strangler heart is exterminated, however, the creatures cease to function and die.

The strangler pods are resistant to blooming, but can be forced to produce strangler blooms by flushing high-powered fertilizer and infusing it into the nearby swamp. As discovered by researchers at Vault 94, the rare flowers can be used to protect against radiation with greater effectiveness than Rad-X. Ella Ames was on the verge of using the blooms to create RadShield prior to her death.