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FREQUENCY: Uncommon ([Temperate Civilized Mountains])
FREQUENCY: Uncommon ([Temperate Wilderness Hills], [Temperate Wilderness Forest], [Temperate Wilderness Swamp], [Temperate Wilderness Plains], [Temperate Wilderness Desert])
FREQUENCY: Uncommon ([Tropical Wilderness Mountains], [Tropical Wilderness Hills])
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Tropical Wilderness Desert])
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Dungeon Level III])

NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 8
MOVE: Immobile
HIT DICE: 3 (or more)
% IN LAIR: 100%
TREASURE TYPE: [SB]
NO. OF ATTACKS: Variable
DAMAGE/ATTACK: [SB]
SPECIAL ATTACKS: [SB]
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: Variable - see below
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:
    3HD: III | 90 + 3
    4HD: III | 125 + 4
    5HD: IV | 165 + 5
    6HD: V | 275 + 6

SAVES, 3 HD:

This weed is usually found amongst ruined masonry, across doors or smothering a long-forgotten treasure chest in the underworld.
It is typically quite extensive; an avg. specimen will cover an AREA approximately 20' square, though weeds up to 2wice this size have been known and even larger ones are theoretically possible.
The average specimen has 3 HD, but larger weeds have 4, 5 or even 6 hit dice.

The weed is dry and is therefore easily burned, but, when burning, it produces toxic smoke; anyone inhaling the smoke must save vs. Poison or die instantly.
The fire will burn and the smoke will stream
forth for 1 round per square foot of vegetation. Only a strong wind
will blow the heavy, oily smoke away - otherwise it forms a cloud
of volume equal to 9 times the area of the witherweed and will take at
least four hours to dissipate.

The Weed attacks with its many, equally spaced fronds;
an average specimen will have 13-24 so positioned that at least one frond can
attack each person confronting it. A frond hit drains 1-4 DEX
points from its victim (a successful saving throw against poison will
halve the number of points drained). If a victim has the maximum of 4
dexterity points drained from a single hit he also suffers a nervous
seizure - total .collapse for 2 melee rounds, followed by a further
5 melee rounds during which he attacks at -2 hit probability and
moves at 75% of his normal rate; dexterity bonuses (if any) do not
apply during this 7-round period.

A victim becomes incapacitated if his dexterity is reduced below 3,
and dies if it is reduced to zero or below. Half the dexterity points
lost are recovered by living victims naturally at the rate of 1 point per
day, but the remainder can only be regained by the casting of cure
disease on the victim.
 

by Simon Eaton