Nepenthes: An insectivorous plant

Nepenthes: An insectivorous plant

Nepenthes

Common name: Pitcher plant/Monkey cups

Scientific name: Nepenthes sp.

Distribution:
An insectivorous plant occurring mostly in the parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, South China and Philippines. Many endemic species found in Borneo & Sumatra and other parts of the Old World.

Description:
Myths are there about plants which could capture and eat humans. Plants like that may not exist.
However, some plants trap insects and other small animals . They have a bait to attract the prey.

Various kinds of  Nepenthes

Once lured into the trap, the animal is killed and digested. Nepenthes, also known as ‘Jug-Of-Water’ is one such carnivore plant. The midrib is extended, protruding from the tip of the leaf to form a pitcher. The smell ranges from sweet to musty. The insects landing on the rim slide down the slippery slope to the inside, where they drown in the syrupy fluid. often there are seen two pitchers in the same plant, the lower and the upper pitcher. While the former is rotund, the latter is more slender in shape.

Insectivorous plant Nepenthes

Importance:
1. The hollow tendrils of the pitcher provides spaces for building nests.
2. The crab spider spins a web across the upper part of the pitcher , thus snatching the prey even before they drown.
3. It is also said that these pitchers are used as cups by monkeys to drink water.