The Nicodemus flower was a long-extinct flower that had briefly been brought back by Dr. Steven Hamilton. The original flower had plagued Smallville in the 19th century, causing an epidemic as it had released spores that lowered the inhibitions of any who had come into contact with the flower before killing them. Someone had discovered a cure and written about it in a diary, but the early settlers of Smallville had torched the flower into extinction as a precaution. However, in early 2002, Dr. Hamilton had experimented on some dormant seeds using kryptonite, bringing the flower back to wreak havoc in the 21st century. It had afflicted LuthorCorp employee James Beels, who had exhbited aggression before falling into a coma and dying. Jonathan Kent, Lana Lang, and Pete Ross had also been affected, but they'd fortunately been cured, leaving them with no memory of their individual behavior while under the influence of the flower.
