A Plant That Eats Bugs Underground

We know there are carnivorous plants, the most familiar being the Venus flytrap. There are also many species of pitcher plants, which produce a cup-shaped blossom containing aromatic nectar that attracts insects, but it is actually digestive juice that consume insects that fall inside. But now we have a pitcher plant unlike any other. Scientists recognized a pitcher plant in North Kalimantan in Borneo that didn't have any pitchers ... or so they thought. The new species Nepenthes pudica has pitchers, but they sprout underground, in the soft forest floor. This plant still works like any other pitcher plant, but it traps ants, mites, beetles, and other insects that live under the surface.

Why would a pitcher plant develop this way? Scientists think it may be an adaptation to changing conditions like temperature and humidity. Under the soil's surface, conditions stay relatively stable. Read more about the strange Nepenthes pudica at ScienceAlert. -via Real Clear Science 

(Image credit: Martin Dančák)

#carnivorousplant #pitcherplant #Nepenthespudica


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