Fact Check: Is this the video of medicinal plant 'Oodhu Paavai' from Tamil Nadu?

Users are sharing the video with the caption, "This medicinal plant is called as OODHU PAAVAI in Tamil. Its found only in rainy dark forests. To keep itself developed it blows out its pollen grains away from it periodically thru its funnel like structure. What an amazing creation... Wonders of nature"

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The video is viral on WhatsApp, too.

Fact Check:

The claim that the video shows a medicinal plant named Oodhu Paavai is FALSE.

Newsmeter carefully observed the video and found a watermark that read "LUKE PENRY EXR". A keyword search led to several social media accounts of Luke Penry.

Luke Penry had shared the same video with the caption "Jungle pipes" on his Instagram account. He had used hashtags like #3dsmax, #vraynext, #cinema4d, #3d, #motiongraphics, #blender3d, and #digitalart.

He had also shared the video on Twitter.

According to his Instagram profile, Penry is a 3D/Motion specialist. His Twitter account also states that he is a "3D/Motion Generalist Abstract Nature Artist Verified on Rarible & Foundation".

Foundation is "a platform that aims to build a new creative economy—a world where creators can use the Ethereum blockchain to value their work in entirely new ways, and build stronger connections with their supporters".

The artwork, with the name "Jungle Pipes!", is being auctioned on Foundation. The description reads, "This piece became the source of much confusion in India, when various channels were reposting it as the "Oodhu Paavai – A medicinal plant on the verge of extinction, only growing in dense rainforests, blowing its pollen with sound". Even members of the IFS (Indian Foreign Service) began sharing this information which caused it to become a mysterious viral video and has resulted in people trying to debunk it and track down its origin online."

Hence, a 3D artwork is being shared as a video showing a medicinal plant from Tamil Nadu. The claim is FALSE.