It is very fascinating to see how Nepenthes species and hybrids transform their leaves into deadly traps. The pitchers are so well designed that there is no escape for any prey which fall into the traps.In this post, we shall look at how these modified leaves attract, capture and digest their prey.
In order to catch prey, the plants need to first attract its prey to the traps. Some species have very attractive pitchers, some with coloured or striped peristome or some with sweet nectar. Their nectar are secreted under the lid where there are a lot of tiny downward pointing hairs which will make their preys lose their footing and fall into the trap.
Other species like N.Truncata and N. Vetchii have very wide peristome with deep ridges, which will guide the insects towards the mouth of the pitchers. N.Ampullaria have pitchers with open lids, which are believed to collect falling leaves and twigs as their meals!
Once the insects fell into the pitcher, there is no chance of escape. The interior walls of the pitcher are waxy and insects with sucker legs are unable to climb their way out. Insects with claws are stopped by the curvature at the top of the pitcher which acts like a lobster pot, preventing exit.
Some pitchers like the N. Black Truncata have checkerboard designs on the interior walls of the pitcher which caused optical confusion to their prey. Under infrared light, these designs are far more effective against insects as they have infrared eyes.
As you can see, the design of the pitcher is so complex and effective. It is very fascinating to see plants have the ability to feed on animals and insects.
