What are the characteristics of Nepenthes

Cage

The most peculiar thing is its insect-catching organ - the insect pitcher. When the pitcher plant grows new leaves, the bottom of the pitcher vine will have the rudiments of an insect trap. It starts out yellowish-brown, gradually turns red, and begins to swell, forming a cage lid. There is a lip at the pitcher mouth, which gradually develops, becomes wider and larger, and turns outward. At this point the insect trap is mature and can be used to catch insects!

Cage

The cage body can be green, orange, red and other colors with white spots. When a bug falls into the bottle, the bottle will become darker when viewed from the outside, but the white spots will become noticeably brighter.

Cage cover

The cage cover is placed above the cage mouth, and the cover obviously prevents rainwater from entering and contaminating the acidic liquid in the cage. It can also block light and prevent insects in the cage from escaping.

Cage mouth

The opening of the insect pitcher is divided into two types: parallel mouth and inclined mouth.

lip

The most colorful part of the pitcher is the curled outer part. The lips can secrete juice, which is quite slippery, so insects will slide directly into the bottle when they touch it.

Cage Wings

There are two parallel wings at the front of the insect trap, extending all the way to the bottom of the cage. There are many tiny structures on the wings called whiskers. The function of the cage wings is to facilitate insects on the ground to climb to the cage mouth, paving a passage for them to enter the "wolf mouth".

The trap also has some other small structures such as digestive glands and wax area, nectar glands of Nepenthes, nectar glands, appendages, cage bones, cage tails, cage shoulders.

Grass blades

Unlike other plants, the leaves of pitcher plants are actually its petioles, which are a kind of modified leaves. The leaves are lanceolate with distinct pinnate veins.

Also connected to the grass leaves are: petiole, vine, guide nectary,

Grassroots

The roots are fibrous, black, fragile and easily broken, and not very developed.

inflorescence

Nepenthes is a dioecious plant, and two plants of different sexes can directly pollinate and produce seeds. Nepenthes usually blooms at the junction of drought and rain, and when the seeds mature it happens to be the rainy season, which is conducive to seed germination.