Exploring the unusual world of carnivorous plants | Indonesia Special | Gardening Australia

Sean from ‪@onlyplants‬ discovers a fascinating group of plants that supplement their diets by becoming carnivores. He finds a whole hothouse devoted to pitcher plants. Subscribe 🔔 ab.co/GA-subscribe
While plants such as Venus Fly Trap actively catch their prey, pitcher plants use passive traps, luring their prey with the promise of food.
Both Nepenthes and Sarracenia have developed modified leaves that look like a pitcher or jug, and are designed to capture insects or even small mammals.
Plants use attractive colours or scent to attract insects, explains Michael Yudhistira, manager of horticulture at PT Mitra Natura Raya. Michael has been fascinated with carnivorous plants since he was a child and the new display at Bogor Botanical Gardens is one of his favourite projects.
There are more species of Nepenthes in Indonesia than anywhere else in the world and the pitchers range in size from less than 5cm up to 40cm, which can capture small rodents.
The ‘dracula’ of nepenthes has a complicated relationship with ant species; ants like to nest between the stalk and the pitcher, and food is provided by the plant via two fang-like points that produce nectar, but when ants go to feed, they often slide off the slippery fangs and are captured in the pitcher.
Michael and his team are working hard to protect the many pitcher plants - new species are being discovered all the time, but others are threatened as their habitat shrinks.
Bogor is about an hour south of Jakarta, in West Java. Bogor has the oldest botanic garden in south-east Asia, founded in 1817, as well as being a UNESCO World Heritage listed site. It’s also a centre for research and home to more than 12,000 species of plants.
Featured plants:
King pitcher plant (Nepenthes rajah)
Fanged pitcher plant (Nepenthes bicalcarata)
Shield-leafed pitcher plant (Nepenthes clipeata)
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