Image
Tropical Pitcher, Plant

Tropical Pitcher Plant
(1 of 5) (5287 views)

./Pitcher_Plant_20101012_111826_Botanical_Bulding_Balboa_Park_San_Diego_BCX_9502.jpg

These plants grow primarily in Southeast Asia, with many species coming from the island of Borneo. All carnivourous plants grow in areas where the soil/bark/leaf litter is so devoid of nutrients that the plants must suplement their diets with insects and animals. The pitchers have an intoxicating nectar around the edge to attract various small creaturs who feast on nectar and fall inside. Once inside, digestive acids and enzymes disolve the soft body parts, and the resulting nutrient "soup" is absorbed by the plant.


Tropical Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes)   •  Botanical Gardens   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Friday 28 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 11:18:26 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9502
Add a comment or report a mistake

Monkeys Cup
(2 of 5) (3351 views)

./Pitcher_Plant_20101012_111842_Botanical_Bulding_Balboa_Park_San_Diego_BCX_9503.jpg

This plant is also known as a Monkeys Cup because monkeys have been observed drinking rainwater from these plants.


Tropical Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes)   •  Botanical Gardens   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Friday 28 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 11:18:42 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9503
Add a comment or report a mistake

Upper Pitchers
(3 of 5) (3191 views)

./Pitcher_Plant_20101012_111851_Botanical_Bulding_Balboa_Park_San_Diego_BCX_9504.jpg

This plant produce two types of pitchers. Lower pitcher that can sit on the ground are usually smaller than the upper pitchers shown here. Upper pitchers are the mark of a mature plant.


Tropical Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes)   •  Botanical Gardens   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Friday 28 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 11:18:51 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9504
Add a comment or report a mistake

Eats Insects
(4 of 5) (3260 views)

./Pitcher_Plant_20101012_111856_Botanical_Bulding_Balboa_Park_San_Diego_BCX_9505.jpg

The prey of this plant usually consists of insects. Other prey frequently include spiders, scorpions, and centipedes, but occassionally snails and frogs.


Tropical Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes)   •  Botanical Gardens   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Friday 28 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 11:18:51 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9505
Add a comment or report a mistake

New Off-Shoot
(5 of 5) (3210 views)

./Pitcher_Plant_20101012_111933_Botanical_Bulding_Balboa_Park_San_Diego_BCX_9508.jpg

A new off-shoot from the main plant shows a brand new pitcher begining to grow.


Tropical Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes)   •  Botanical Gardens   •  Balboa Park, San Diego, California   •  (Photo posted Friday 28 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 11:19:33 Tuesday 12 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_9508
Add a comment or report a mistake


Subscribe to our mailing list for a Sunday summary of the week's stories.
* indicates required
Email Format
home contact topic guide top 25 photos video writing blogs upload terms privacy