Carnivorous plant
May 21, 2013 17:49:19 #
According to locals this is a plant that eats insects. It has dozens of little yellow and pink monster-looking heads poking out on all sides, apparently awaiting a meal. When it captures an insect, supposedly the little monster heads shrivel up to digest the prey. It's a very showy and attractive plant, but a little creepy. If you look at the image full size, you can see the little heads have something that actually look like TEETH!
This is beautiful but it really weirds me out. The stuff you find in the jungle! Looks like it belongs in the movie "Tremors"!
This is beautiful but it really weirds me out. The stuff you find in the jungle! Looks like it belongs in the movie "Tremors"!
Carnovore
May 21, 2013 18:01:52 #
May 21, 2013 18:04:59 #
Pentony wrote:
What's the official name of the plant?
I have no idea. I didn't even hear a local slang name for it. It may be fairly common, but I've never seen one before. I tried to Google "carnivorous plants", but found nothing resembling it. All I know is local hearsay, so it may be entirely different from what I'm thinking.
This plant is about two feet tall, but there are some behind in the undergrowth MUCH bigger.
May 21, 2013 18:14:47 #
I know a lot about insect eating plants and this one does not look familiar
May 21, 2013 18:29:14 #
missletoe wrote:
I know a lot about insect eating plants and this one does not look familiar
I know nothing about them, so I will defer to your knowledge. It's very possible it isn't carnivorous at all. I'm merely going by local oral tradition.
May 21, 2013 18:35:47 #
May 21, 2013 18:47:25 #
missletoe wrote:
Is the plant in a bog?
No, actually it is on a fairly well drained hillside about a hundred yards from a stream. It seems to thrive in partial to full shade of the undergrowth.
May 21, 2013 18:55:25 #
Most carnivorous (insect eating plants) live in bog like conditions. There is very little nitrogen in their environment......so they trap insects and digest them to make up for their nutrient loss.
May 21, 2013 19:06:03 #
May 21, 2013 20:29:39 #
May 22, 2013 00:20:12 #
May 22, 2013 10:27:18 #
May 22, 2013 14:30:23 #
charryl wrote:
Very interesting plant. To me it looks as if it could be a bromeliad.
I, not being a botanist, had to look up the name. From what I just read, I think you are almost certainly right. Evidently there are a small percentage of carnivorous bromeliads, but the chances of this being one is probably unlikely. It does, however, fit the description given by the local people. I really wish I had had the foresight to remove and cut open one of the withered little snake-head things and see if it contained insect remains.
Regardless of how it gets its dinner, I thing the little head-looking things with the "teeth" are really cool! Creepy, but cool. :thumbup:
May 23, 2013 00:22:54 #
It's very pretty Lmarc, and it's a good, sharp photo..but it kinda creeps me out, too! :)
May 23, 2013 01:43:14 #
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