An estimated 90 percent of land plants have “mutually beneficial relationships” with fungi, per the BBC. The strength of these relationships is largely rooted in thin threads called mycelium which make up the majority of a fungus’s body. Mycelium doubles as underground internet fibers referred to as the “wood wide web.” Plants use it to share nutrients with their neighbors or sabotage each other by delivering toxins that hinder growth or otherwise harm their fellow fungal net users. Hence, the cybercrime comparison.

In addition to serving as accomplices to plant crime, fungi assist plants in absorbing water, supply vital nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, and improve their immune systems. Meanwhile, plants feed fungus networks carbohydrates. Some plants produce compounds that attract fungi and beneficial bacteria. Meanwhile others, like the phantom orchid, use fungi to steal nutrients from trees connected to the network. These plants may not come from the Black Lagoon or from past the stars or beyond the moon, but much like Audrey II, they can be mean green mothers, and fungus is their willing Rick Moranis.