By BARRY WIGMORE

Last updated at 23:14 25 January 2008

Sceptics might suspect that the hand of Man has been at work.

But according to its owner, this remarkably-shaped root is entirely the product of Mother Nature.

The root, attached to a Chinese fleeceflower plant, shows a naked man and woman in all their glory with even the most intimate details in all the right places.

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It appears just as it was when the plant was pulled from the ground, according to the man who spotted it on a vegetable stall in a town in China's eastern Shandong province.

The man, named Fan, was so taken with his find he is said to have paid 600 yuan, more than £40, to buy it.

Curious visitors now travel from miles around to see the foot-long veggie couple on display at his home.

The fleeceflower is a favourite dietary supplement in Asia where its boiled extract is believed to reduce cholesterol and fight heart disease.

The root is also sold as a diet food to help reduce obesity.