Sponge-plant

Sponge-plants were flowering plants native to Spiridon.

When a sponge-plant sensed nearby animals, it shot out a liquid containing fungal spores which would attach to and spread on those who were hit.

Jo Grant was infected by a sponge-plant. A Spiridon named Wester applied a paste to the infection, curing her. (TV: Planet of the Daleks)

Behind the scenes

 * The sponge-plant is not named on television, only in the novelisation.
 * It is never made clear whether the sponge-plant and the fungoid infection spores are two separate species in a symbiotic bond or one species with qualities of both plant and fungus. In nature, a flowering plant reproduces by producing seeds.