The pitcher plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is so big that it can catch rats as well as insects in its leafy trap.
Pitcher plants are carnivorous. Carnivorous plants come in many forms, and are known to have independently evolved at least six separate times. While some have sticky surfaces that act like flypaper, others like the Venus fly trap are snap traps, closing their leaves around their prey.
Pitchers create tube-like leaf structures into which insects and other small animals tumble and become trapped.
The botanists have named the pitcher plant after British natural history broadcaster David Attenborough.
They published details of the discovery in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society earlier this year.
The pitcher plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is so big that it can catch rats as well as insects in its leafy trap.
Nepenthes attenboroughii: A, upper pitcher; B, intermediate pitcher.Word that this new species of pitcher plant existed initially came from two Christian missionaries who in 2000 attempted to scale Mount Victoria, a rarely visited peak in central Palawan in the Philippines.
With little preparation, the missionaries attempted to climb the mountain but became lost for 13 days before being rescued from the slopes.
On their return, they described seeing a large carnivorous pitcher plant.
That pricked the interest of natural history explorer Stewart McPherson of Red Fern Natural History Productions based in Poole, Dorset, UK and independent botanist Alastair Robinson, formerly of the University of Cambridge, UK and Volker Heinrich, of Bukidnon Province, the Philippines.
The Philippines is the “third richest region for Nepenthes diversity after Sumatra and Borneo, each with approximately 30 endemic species.”
~~~
~~~
Rat Eating Plant Named In Honour Of Sir David Attenborough. - Nepenthes Attenboroughii
~~~
~~~
Reference:
http://www.redfernnaturalhistory.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment