Re: bromeliads
Andreas Wistuba (A.Wistuba@DKFZ-Heidelberg.DE)
Thu, 15 Feb 1996 12:29:01 GMT+1
> > B. hectoides, B. tatei and Puya sp. Bromiliads. Jan, do
> >you know anything about carnivory in these? I figure if anyone would,
> >you would.
>
> Well, these and the other monocotyledons mentioned in this context are not
> "real" carnivorous plants because they lack proteolytic enzymes (i.e. in
> their traps!). Sometimes, Sarraceniaceae are cited as an example in which
> these enzymes are also missing. But at least some portions of _Sarracenia_
> and _Heliamphora_ were definitely demonstrated to produce endogeneous
> digestive activities whereas not even the most famous sub-carnivores in
> Bromeliaceae and Xyridaceae could be shown to secrete such in their traps.
> So any bromeliad forming cisterns must equally well be considered
> sub-carnivorous, approaching the genera you mentioned very closely.
Hello Jan.
Well, I know your opinion regarding this theme....and you know
mine...;-)....
...but I am still convinced after having seen "pitchers" of
Brocchinea reducta in the wild being "filled" with dead insects, that
these plants at least very efficiently attract insects, a fact which makes
the little difference to all the other cisterne forming Bromeliaceae.
In fact they are much more successful trapping insects in the wild
than Heliamphora, which just grows besides.
Bye,
Andreas
Andreas Wistuba; Mudauer Ring 227; 68259 Mannheim; Germany
Phone: +49-621-705471 / +49-621-7152027
Fax: +49-621-7152028
E-Mail: andreas.wistuba@rhein-neckar.de
WWW: http://www.rhein-neckar.de/~carnivor/index.html