Amazing Facts on Tropical Pitcher Plants
Tropical pitcher plants, also known as Nepenthes or monkey cups, are a type of carnivorous plant. Known for their unusual shapes and even stranger eating habits, pitcher plants are quite amazing. Does this Spark an idea?
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Features
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Pitcher plants hang from trees from tendrils and develop bulbous cups that are covered with a lid until the plant is completely mature. Water collects inside these cups and attracts prey like insects with its distinct odor.
Function
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Once inside the pitcher, the insect cannot get out because the waxy walls inside make it impossible to climb. As the insect struggles to escape, the plant releases digestive acids that help kill and break down the insect.
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Fun Fact
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According to California Carnivores, the tropical pitcher plant is the only genus of plant that has been known to devour an entire rat. The largest of the pitcher plants, the Rajah pitcher, is known to devour mice.
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