Re: Plant Identification
Bob Beer (bbeer@u.washington.edu)
Wed, 23 Jun 1993 17:24:46 -0700 (PDT)
> A co-worker was describing to me a (carnivorous?) plant which
> he saw on a TV nature special. I couldn't figure out what it was from
> his description, but I thought someone in this group might figure it out.
>
> He claims that the plant had canoe-shaped leaves, long and thin
> with raised sides, which grew outward along the ground from a central
> rosette. The inner surface of the leaves (hollow of the canoe) had
> fine hairs which pointed toward the rosette--the surface was covered
> with these hairs. Ants would wander into the leaves and find that they
> could not walk in any direction besides toward the center of the
> rosette. Once there they would be trapped and digested.
So this is a rosette? The only plant I can think of that would have the
trap composed of the leaves in a rosette would be the carnivorous
bromeliads. But they don't have hair on the leaves.
I bet he is just confused in his memory; he probably saw something like S.
purpurea...or perhaps they were showing a cutaway view of something?
>
> At first I thought this might be a type of butterwort. He
> wasn't sure but didn't think it was a butterwort. Any ideas?
It doesn't sound like a Ping - they are flypaper traps, and the location
on the leaf has nothing to do with the capture.
Bob