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Rare plant turns carnivorous when it is low on a key nutrient

The West African liana Triphyophyllum peltatum can grow special leaves that trap insects, but we now know it only does this when the soil is lacking in phosphorus

By Ryan Truscott

23 May 2023

Sticky glands on leaves of the liana Triphyophyllum peltatum that emerge when the plant turns carnivorous

Traud Winkelmann/Leibniz University Hannover

A rare species of climbing vine from West Africa can turn into a carnivore when it doesn’t get enough nutrition from the soil.

The liana Triphyophyllum peltatum grows in moist, forested hillsides in coastal regions of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast.

While some plants are fully carnivorous, T. peltatum is the only one known to be a part-time carnivore. It can unfurl special leaves with glands oozing sticky droplets that trap beetles …

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