Farley, Ralph Milne 1887-1963 creator Brundage, Margaret 1900-1976 text utu 2025 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "Vallisneria madness by Ralph Milne Farley" is a weird-fiction short story written in the early 20th century. It centers on the moonlit mating of the aquatic vallisneria plant and the spell it casts over a human observer, blending botanical lore with seductive illusion and perilous desire. Tom Spencer visits Professor Gordon to witness the vallisneria’s annual blooming, despite a warning not to approach the narcotic mists of the garden pool. As the moon rises, Spencer sees towering, ethereal women and green-clad men enact a fatal courtship: the men strain for a kiss, their bodies wither, and the women, sated, sink back into the slime—save one unmated beauty. Compelled, Spencer reaches her, expecting doom; instead she yields, and a breeze reveals she is Natalie Gordon standing on a bench, not a deadly apparition. The vision dissolves, and the tale resolves in a human embrace rather than a sacrificial kiss. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2025-05-18 Alex White, Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net Originally published: Indianapolis, IN: Popular Fiction Publishing Company, 1937 Short stories Fantasy fiction Love stories Aquatic plants -- Fiction PS Indianapolis, IN: Popular Fiction Publishing Company, 1937 https://archive.org/details/WeirdTalesV29N05193705/mode/2up https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76112 https://archive.org/details/WeirdTalesV29N05193705/mode/2up https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76112 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134748.0 76112