A carnivorous plant in Southeast Asia offers its leftovers to local fauna, and gets fertilized by those animals’ feces in exchange.
Across the tropical lowlands of Borneo and the nearby Malay Peninsula, tiny cups colored green, red, purple, and black sprout from the forest floor, each filled with deadly liquid. These vessels are actually the specialized leaves of Nepenthes ampullaria, a carnivorous pitcher plant that catches small insects and dead leaves in its maw and digests them with enzymes.
N. ampullaria lacks the sweet nectar that most pitcher plants rely on to lure their prey. Instead, this unique detritivore has evolved a more passive method of acquiring food: an open, funnel-like mouth that simply catches whatever detritus falls in. And because the plants spread by runners to form vast carpets, they catch a lot of debris, playing a vital role in keeping the jungle clean and recycling its nutrients.
Potty Plant - bioGraphic
Across the tropical lowlands of Borneo and the nearby Malay Peninsula, tiny cups colored green, red, purple, and black sprout from the forest floor, each filled with deadly liquid. These vessels are actually the specialized leaves of Nepenthes ampullaria, a carnivorous pitcher plant that catches small insects and dead leaves in its maw and digests them with enzymes.
N. ampullaria lacks the sweet nectar that most pitcher plants rely on to lure their prey. Instead, this unique detritivore has evolved a more passive method of acquiring food: an open, funnel-like mouth that simply catches whatever detritus falls in. And because the plants spread by runners to form vast carpets, they catch a lot of debris, playing a vital role in keeping the jungle clean and recycling its nutrients.
Potty Plant - bioGraphic
