Grows underground: scientists have discovered a new carnivorous plant (photo)
Scientists from the Czech Republic have found a new species of carnivorous plant that differs from its relatives in that it grows insect traps underground instead of on the surface. This unique plant, called Nepenthes pudica, is native to the Borneo Mountains in Indonesia.
Most plants get their nutrients from the soil and sunlight. However, some plants, such as nepenthes and dewdrops, have evolved to become carnivores. They use modified leaves to catch insects and other small animals, obtaining additional nutrients from them, PhytoKeys writes.
Nepenthes pudica is a type of nepenthes that usually has pitcher-like traps on its leaves. These traps lure insects with color and smell, and then slide down the smooth walls, where they die in a sticky liquid.
Nepenthes pudica is different, however, in that its traps are not on the leaves, but are located underground. Scientists speculate that this makes the plant more effective in hunting small animals that live in the soil, such as ants, beetles, and spiders.
During a 2012 expedition, the scientists noticed that some nepentes in Borneo had no above-ground traps. They wondered what could be the reason. After digging up the soil around these plants, the researchers found entire mazes of underground traps that were up to 11 centimeters long.
In many of these traps, the scientists found half-digested insects, confirming the predatory nature of Nepenthes pudica.
Nepenthes pudica is not the first carnivorous plant to use underground traps, but it is the first member of the Nepenthes genus to have this adaptation.
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