The Most Immortal Green Lantern is Also One of Its Strangest
There have been many wild and crazy Green Lanterns over the years, but perhaps none is more bizarre than a sentient immortal plant named Olapet. This character is featured prominently in a three-part story that takes place in Green Lantern Corps issues 217 through 219. They were written by Steve Englehart and drawn by Joe Staton.
Olapet was one of three surviving Lanterns from a group that was destroyed by Sinestro. During this time, Sinestro was in prison on Oa. Unfortunately, in the cell next to him was a sentient sector of space called 3600. In this sector, life forms had gotten so strong they eventually became Gods and absorbed the physical reality around them. The entire sector they resided in gained consciousness and went mad. Sinestro was able to utilize the living sector's power and escape his prison.
Olapet hales from the Southern Goldstar. She appears genderless but is referred to as a plant mother. Her main body is bulbous in appearance with various leaves and vines protruding out from her top and bottom, similar to a jellyfish. One of these vines holds her Green Lantern ring. She uses her bizarre appearance to fool opponents into thinking she could be easily defeated, but Olapet might be one of the most difficult Lanterns to kill. She is able to transfer her mind into a seedling that she carries within her. This ability allows her to continue on living through a form of immortality, coincidentally similar to the immortal jellyfish that she resembles.
However, saying that Olapet was one of three surviving Green Lantern members in her initial appearance is somewhat misleading as one of them is technically dead. This is Driq of Criq, who was killed but whose power ring refused to let his body go. Although Driq is not technically alive, he could also be considered an immortal Green Lantern since he can't truly be killed. It's quite the coincidence that two possibly "immortal" Lanterns had their first appearance in the same issue.
Although this three-part story from 1987 is pretty much all readers get to see of Olapet, she does return very briefly in 2011's Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #10. This issue was Part 9 of the War of the Green Lanterns storyline. Olapet appears as a very minor background character in the issue, but it's notable given the 24-year gap between her appearances. The fact that this seemingly forgotten Lantern has not made an appearance in 11 years means she's probably due for another. Olapet deserves it too as it would make for a great Green Lantern story to see her immortality tested.