Fluff-Trap Tree

Despite the name, This Species is actually a virus, "Fluff-Trap Virus", Which can invade and take over most trees. When the virus finds a tree, it begins to duplicate itself, and when there are enough of the virus, it begins the process of turning it into a "Fluff-Trap Tree". The process starts with many small tendrils, similar to roots, growing out along the surface, roughly covering a 3 meter radius around the base of the tree. next, white fluff grows out from the roots, and eventually creates a blanket, from there it can thicken up to 20 centimeters. while the fluff thickens, thin tendrils begin to branch out from the main tendrils. these tendrils are venomous, said venom being produced in the trunk of the tree. finally, the white fluff begins to excrete hormones to lure in prey, and make them tired. Animals are easy to fool, and will happily fall asleep on the soft fluff. unfortunately for these animals, they won't be waking up, as the hormones from the fluff will keep them asleep indefinitely. when the tree senses it has caught prey, it will begin to burrow it's thin venomous tendrils into the animal, eventually killing it, and slowly drain as many resources from the corpse as possible. Additionally, white fluff will grow over the corpse to prevent scaring off potential prey. These trees usually only last up to a year, at which point they begin to undergo a drastic transformation. Its branches will drop their leaves, and curve upwards, where it will begin to grow pustules at the ends of each branch, filled with the virus. these pustules will slowly expand, until eventually the branch can longer support them, and they crash to the ground, bursting open and spreading out. when this is done, the tree will begin to die, the venom in it's trunk will be released and surrounding trees will be killed. While this tree is very effective against animals, people aren't nearly as susceptible, and use this tree for profit. The fluff the tree produces has multiple uses, it can be used to create incredibly comfortable bedding. additionally, they can be used to make "sleep charms": the sleep inducing hormones within the fluff could be kept, and a compressed lump of it could help sleep easy, and without a high enough concentration to put you into a coma. The venom is also incredibly effective, and commonplace in assassinations. Harvesting the fluff from these trees is a lot harder than one would think, as it must be carefully separated from the tendrils it grows from, or it could fall apart. harvesting an entire trees worth of fluff could take months. as such, using this fluff as bedding is a show of wealth among nobility. Sleep charms made from the fluff are much more commonplace, as harvesting the materials for them doesn't require nearly as much care. Despite their grim nature, these plants are often used as icons of comfort, and rest. An apt example would be the "Fluff-Trap Inn", which uses the trees Fluff in it's beds.