Nepenthes - the carnivorous plant which drowns its victims

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Nepenthes is a type of carnivorous pitcher plant which inhabits the tropical rainforests of Madagascar, Asia and Australia. These plants use a specialised cup-like structure (or pitcher) on the end of their long tendrils to trap insects and then slowly digest them.

The seventy or so types of Nepenthes are usually found in damp places where the soil is acidic and there is a deficiency in essential nutrients such as nitrogen. The extra nutrients needed to survive the poor conditions are provided by the trapped insects as the nitrogen-rich fluids in their bodies are absorbed by the Nepenthes.

Nepenthes have adapted a distinctive and specialised cup structure (or pitcher) that grows on tendrils on the end of their leaves. The pitcher is often capped by a colourful lid. The mouth or rim of the pitcher has a layer of crumbly wax. Nectar glands around the rim and lid attract insects. The insects slide into the liquid at the bottom of the pitcher because they cannot steady themselves on the waxy rim. The digestive glands of the Nepenthes then fill the liquid with acids and enzymes so the victim can be dissolved.

The smallest species of Nepenthes, such as Nepenthes argentii, have very small pitches measuring no more than two inches (or two centimetres) long. The larger forms, such as the Nepenthes rafflesiana, have pitchers that are thirty feet (or nine meters) tall and rims which are three to twelve inches (or eight to thirty centimetres) wide. Insects as well as scorpions and sometimes reptiles can be lured into these large pitchers.

The Nepentes have adapted extremely well to their harsh environment and are some of the most efficient killers of the carnivorous plants.

Strangler Fig - a guest that strangles its host

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The fig-tree species which lives beneath the canopy of tropical rainforests have developed a unique way to escape from the darkness. These plants take root on host trees and then strangles them so they may reach the light.

Tropical fig-trees, such as Ficus ottoniifolia in the Gambon, use animals and birds to eat their fruit and spread their seeds. Only a small number of seeds among thousands will land on a suitable, high place which is another tree. If the host tree is near light, the seeds will take root on the trunk of their host. The seeds then find water by sinking aerial roots into the soil.

Once the young fig-trees grow to a certain size, they will begin to strangle their host by wrapping more aerial roots around the trunk of the host. The aerial roots in the ground support the fig-trees during this process. The host tree eventually dies because the aerial roots of the fig-tree become so tight that there is eventually no flow of sap to the host tree. When the host tree dies, the fig-tree is able to stand upright because the aerial roots in the ground have thickened into pillars. The host tree will collapse and fall onto the ground, leaving the fig-tree standing on its own.

The fig-trees of the Mediterranean, Ficus carnica (edible fig tree), do not use the methods of their cousins in the tropical rainforests because there is no scarcity of light. The fig-trees of the tropical rainforests have adapted a unusual and successful way of surviving among the dense vegetation.

Cuscuta (or Dodder) - Profile of a Vampire Plant

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The Cuscuta is thought of as a parasitic plant that is both destructive because it kills the host plant by syphoning off water and nutrients and a healing plant that has been used in alternative medicine for hundreds of years. It inhabits the temperate and tropical regions of the world where it is also known as the dodder.

The Cuscuta, or the dodder, is the only parasitic type in the morning-glory family called the Convolvulaceae. The appearance of these plants is that of a slender, leafless vine with stems that are yellow, orange, pink, or brown in colour. It differs from other plants because it has little or no chlorophyll and cannot make its own food by photosynthesis.

The flowers of are made up of small inconspicuous clusters of yellow or white bell-like flowers that are about 5 mm to 10 mm in length. Flowering can take place simultaneously with the host plant or in June and July when they have grown on their host for a few weeks or months. Fruit is produced between August and October after the pollination by insects or self pollination. Seeds are dispersed by birds, animals, strong winds, waterways, agricultural vehicles etc. They are very hardy and germination can take place up to 5 years.

The germination process of the seedling is normal and it appears as a hair-like shoot from the ground. The seedling then searches for a suitable host. Once a host is found , the seedling winds itself around the host's stem and produces suckers (or haustoria) which grip the surface and inject toxins into the host plant. The suckers, which appear as small nodules, then syphon off water and nutrients from the host's supply vessel. This process matches the biological growth of the host and bypasses defence mechanisms. The root of the seedling is then discarded and the Cuscuta will spend its life attached to a host plant. If a host plant is not reached within 5 to 10 days the seedling will perish.

The adult Cuscuta will vigorously wind itself around the host plant no more than three times. Numerous suckers are produced which syphon off food and water from the host. The adult will also search for non-infected host plants by means of long thin shoots. The Cuscuta is then able to spread from infected hosts to other host plants. If a host plant dies and the Cuscuta is unable to find a replacement host, it too will perish.

An anomaly of these plants is if the stems of two Cuscuta meet, they will follow the usual procedure as with the host plant but with no effect

The approximately 170 species of Cuscuta are widely distributed throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the world. (The Cuscuta is more often called dodder in English-speaking countries). They are most numerous in North and South America. For example, Cuscuta gronovii and Cuscuta campestris are the most common native species in Canada. They are also found in Europe, Asia and Africa but are less abundant in Australia and the islands of the Indian and Pacific Ocean. The island of Kaua'i has reported problems with the Cuscuta as a new invasive species where native species of plants are threatened (Kaua'i)

The Cuscuta is regarded as a noxious and invasive weed by governments around the world because they can destroy whole or large parts of agricultural crops such as clover, alfalfa, flax, potatoes, hops, and beans. The Cuscuta gronovii is a particularly serious pest in commercial cranberry production. Controls include a combination of removing Cuscuta plants by hand, chemicals and by preventing the plant’s accidental introduction. Eradicating an infestation cannot be achieved with a single treatment or in a single year

Cuscuta epithymum has been used in western alternative medicine to treat liver, spleen, and gallbladder disorders such as jaundice. In Chinese medicine, the seeds of cuscuta, called tu si zi, have been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of disorders because of its high content of flavonoids and antioxidant properties

The healing powers of the Cuscuta has been the subject of research in recent years. Cuscuta chinensis was researched extensively in 2010. The conclusion in an article published in Physiotherapy Research was that a new combination of Cuscuta with other drugs may be effective in the treatment of osteoporosis. UK researchers and other scientists from Europe found from clinical experiments that Dodder plant extracts could be used to cure breast cancer and other cancers of skin (Cancer products).

The Cuscuta is thought of as a destructive pest in the areas of the world it inhabits but its newly discovered medicinal qualities may hold the key to curing serious ailments and diseases.