Vegetation

"Leaf" redirects here. For the characters in Pikmin 4, see Leafling.

This article is about vegetation in the canon games. For vegetation in Pikmin Adventure, see Pikmin Adventure vegetation.

Some clovers, one of the many plants in PNF-404.

Areas in the Pikmin series are covered in all sorts of vegetation in addition to their animal wildlife. This includes an assortment of plants and fungi. Most vegetation exists as background scenery to add visual interest and to create a sense of the biome the area is in, but some vegetation has gameplay functions too. Some particular plants and fungi are given names in Pikmin 2's Piklopedia, though because the explorers are not specialists in plant and fungus lifeforms familiar to humans, they mistakenly categorize things like LED lights as fungi. In addition, Captain Olimar refers to Pikmin as being "both plant and animal".^[1]

Vegetation as game objects[edit]

Some forms of vegetation are game objects, much like the leaders or the Pikmin. They are dotted about the terrain, and most of them have minimal impact on the gameplay, serving only for decoration; at most, they gently sway when brushed against. However, while some plants and fungi may be decorative in and of themselves, upon touching them they may release some helpful enemies hiding within, like Unmarked Spectralids, Honeywisps or Iridescent Flint Beetles. Others can also act as hiding spots from predators. Finally, there is a small handful of plant and fungus objects that have an important role as a gameplay mechanic, such as being an obstacle.

Piklopedia[edit]

Main article: Piklopedia (Pikmin 2).

The Piklopedia is an in-game feature in Pikmin 2. When the leaders interact with enemies and vegetation, a record about the entity is created on the Piklopedia. In order for the player to complete the Piklopedia, they must touch at least one specimen of every recognizable plant and fungus in the game. Pikmin 3 Deluxe's Piklopedia does not contain entries for plants.

Gameplay mechanics[edit]

To do: list all interactive Hey! Pikmin vegetation.
Care to do so?

Some forms of vegetation in PNF-404 are actually helpful or obstructive to the leaders and their Pikmin, and serve as important gameplay mechanics – some must be interacted with to complete the game.

Pellet Posies have a single pellet on top of their stem. When the plant is taken down, it releases the pellet inside, which can be brought to an Onion. This provides a safe way of increase Pikmin population without having to interact with enemies or their corpses.

Burgeoning Spiderworts contain berries that, when delivered to the ship can be used to brew sprays. These plants can generate several berries throughout the day, making them a good origin of sprays; they do, however, need some upkeep in order to remain a healthy and reliable source.

Burgeoning Spiderwort molds in Pikmin 2 suffocate Burgeoning Spiderworts and any Pellet Posies within their radii, rendering the plants inaccessible until the central molds are destroyed.

Candypop Buds are plants that can take in Pikmin and convert them to a different type.

Nectar weed is a type of grass that, when pulled out, has a chance of releasing a drop of nectar. Pikmin can be told to weed out these blades of grass in order to obtain the nectar within.

Common Glowcaps in Pikmin 3 light up the area around them. This provides both lighting and protection from Phosbats and the Vehemoth Phosbat.

Spotcaps are often simply destructible scenery, but sometimes they can block a pathway or even contain Data Files.

Kingcaps always appear in dense collections of Spotcaps, blocking a path until Pikmin destroy it.

Bloominous Stemples open up when lit, and serve as bridges to cross gaps.

Bouncy Mushrooms launch any Pikmin or leaders to a specific spot nearby.

Flukeweeds hold items in their roots; Winged Pikmin can pull them out to retrieve the items.

Lily pads float on the surface of rivers, and allow leaders and Pikmin to ride them to new sections of the area.

Potted plants are plants on their side that block a path until they are pulled out of the way with Pikmin.

Potted mushrooms are mushrooms inside of breakable pot-like structures that, when smashed, get turned into paths or cover.

Cotton is used to keep Pikmin occupied while Olimar goes elsewhere.

Springpetals are large flowers in caves that, when weighed with Pikmin, fling them upward. The more weight added to a flower, the higher its contents will be propelled.

Electric glowcaps are minor obstacles that do damage to leaders that touch them and emanate light. Because of their electric properties, Yellow Pikmin are immune to the their effects and can temporarily disable them.

Leaf platforms are minor obstacles that blow straight forward when the air is windy, but slump down when it is clear, which happens frequently throughout the area they're in. They act as platforms that the player can walk across.

Treasures as vegetation[edit]

In Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 4, the leaders attribute a high value to some otherwise mundane plants and fungi. These forms of vegetation have been upgraded from mere decorative objects to important treasures that the player must collect in order to complete the game. The following is a list of series whose treasures do not act as regular in-game vegetation:

Pikmin 2[edit]

Pikmin 4[edit]

Enemies as vegetation[edit]

Some enemies in the Pikmin world take advantage of the unassuming characteristics of flora and fungi in order to disguise themselves as common vegetation. This can be either a defensive or offensive mechanism, in that the disguise could serve as a way to hide from predators, or as a means for an ambush. In addition, some enemies also seem to be part plant or part fungus, much like how the Pikmin are part plant themselves. A list of enemies with these plant and fungus connections is as follows:

Bulbmin: as they are but a parasitic form of Pikmin, they too are half-plant in nature.
Creeping Chrysanthemum: they belong to the same family of plants as the Margaret, and disguise themselves as one in order to ambush prey. It is even stated by Olimar that they are actually plants, being the only enemies in the series with this trait.^[2]
Startle Spore: similar to the Creeping Chrysanthemum, these enemies also disguise to ambush prey. However, instead of using flowers as camouflage, they use mushrooms instead.
Skitter Leaf: these enemies disguise themselves as mere leaves in order to prevent predation.
Desiccated Skitter Leaf: same as Skitter Leaves, except these attack Pikmin.
Puffstool: these mushroom-like enemies release spores that can take over Pikmin.
Toxstool: these enemies are very similar in design to the Puffstool, but can poison Pikmin instead of infect them.
Puffstalk: these enemies are also very mushroom-like, and hide in holes in the background.
Berserk Leech Hydroe: this boss is said to have been a simple plant once, but was turned into a monster because of a parasite.

Misc.[edit]

Interestingly, in New Play Control! Pikmin and New Play Control! Pikmin 2, Yellow Pikmin thrown from a plant will reach a higher distance. This does not apply to the GameCube versions.

Vegetation as terrain[edit]

The terrain in PNF-404 consists of all sorts of surfaces. Given the series' highlights of nature, a large part of the terrain Pikmin and leaders walk on is made up of flora or fungi. This can range from grass to tree trunks. These different terrains count simply for decoration, as they have no impact on the gameplay, other than providing different footstep sounds when leaders walk on top of them.

Vegetation as background[edit]

In order to give the areas some physical context, the out of bounds sections of the terrain are filled with plants and fungi. At times, it is even in much larger amounts than what can be found in the area's in-bound terrain; the reason for this is to stop the gameplay section of the area to be too cluttered. The outside of maps can consist of normal vegetation gameplay objects, dedicated models (e.g. trees, leaves, or unique flowers), or, in the case of the first two games, a wall with a texture of assorted vegetation, like mossy stones or trees.

List of identified vegetation[edit]

The following is a list of identified plants and fungi in the Pikmin games. This list refers to vegetation that is given an actual name or recognition inside the games, but also vegetation that has a mechanic in the game, and not just aesthetics. Only Pikmin 2 actually names most of these, with the Piklopedia. You may also browse the categories available on Pikipedia, with the top one being Vegetation.