The tropical or common swamp pitcher-plant, ๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ฃ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ด, is a species of carnivorous plant widespread throughout Southeast Asia and beyond, ranging all the way from China to Australia, including Hong Kong. ย First described by Portuguese missionary Joรฃo de Loureiro in 1790 as ๐๐ฉ๐บ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ฃ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ด, it was subsequently transferred to the ๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด genus and redescribed in 1916 by English botanist George Claridge Druce. Its current name is quite evocative, meaning โdispelling grief/painโ + โwonderfulโ. As you read on, you might start to wonder why it was given such pleasant namesโฆ Perhaps because it throws the nicest and best catered pool partiesโฆ although deadly for some of the protagonists.
The common swamp pitcher-plant can be found amongst grasses and rock crevices, and as its name suggests, in swampy or marshy areas. The plant grows tendrils that climb and wrap around support until they find a good spot, at which point the tendrils grow into the famous pitcher shape. ย The pitcher trap consists of three main parts: the lid, the peristome, and the body. The pitcher lid is a wide leaf that hangs above the pitcher, preventing rainwater from flooding the trap and diluting the digestive juices inside - like an umbrella. ย The pitcher lid is often brightly coloured, just like parasols by the pool, and produces nectar and scents to attract prey. The peristome, the rim of the pitcher, is always wet and slippery like a water slide. When a prey lands on the peristome to feed on the nectar, it falls into the pitcher like a surprise slip โnโ slide. The inner walls of the pitcher trap are also smooth and slippery, making it difficult for prey to escape once theyโve fallen in. ย Finally, the digestive juices in the pitcher body will drown and quickly start to digest the prey, breaking it down into nutrients that the plant then absorbs. Pitcher plants generally need to capture prey only every few weeks, and overfeeding can be a problem as the plant cannot digest fast enough.
Some species of pitcher plant in tropical mountains, however, face a scarcity of prey. So they have evolved to extract nutrients from feces. ย When an animal such as a bat or a shrew, which is too big to fall in, goes to lick nectar from a pitcher, it might defecate while hanging around, straight into the pitcher body, where the digestive juices make a snack of it. ย It might not be a Michelin star meal, but itโs all the same to these unique, resourceful plants!
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๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด pitcher plants contain what are called โinfaunaโ, small animals such as mosquito and fly larvae, ants, worms, spiders and even some frogs and crabs, that live inside or occasionally visit the pitcher and predate on the trapped prey. ย Sort of like an all-you-can-eat cookout pool party. In order to attend this party, however, ๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด infauna partygoers, as opposed to the prey, must be adapted to the low pH in the pitcherโs digestive fluid (which can be as low as pH 2, like super sour lemon juice ), and be able to leave once the party is over. For instance, tree frogs that eat insects trapped in ๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ฃ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ด pitchers produce a sticky, protective layer of skin mucus that prevents them from being dissolved in there, and they are large and sticky enough to be able to climb out without slipping back in. ย Tiny frog species have even been observed to lay their eggs inside pitcher plants, where the tadpoles safely grow up in the digestive juice pool, getting food delivered straight to them as they swim around. ย Unlike symbioses, in which all participants benefit, this situation is great for the infauna, and just okay for the pitcher plant, thus probably representing a case of commensalism.
๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ฃ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ด is classified as โvulnerableโ in Hong Kong, where it grows in several spots, including in some Country Parks under protection. ย So if you are lucky enough to find some, do not disturb them. Our specimen at the HKBM (although it doesnโt have an ongoing pool party) can be visited comfortably though - come have a look!
Text: Long, Elvira
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