Sticky glands on leaves of the liana Triphyophyllum peltatum that emerge when the plant becomes carnivorous
Traud Winkelmann/Leibniz University Hanover
A rare species of creeper from West Africa can turn into a carnivore if it doesn’t get enough nutrition from the soil.
The liana Triphyophyllum peltatum grows in moist, wooded hills in coastal areas of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast.
Although some plants are completely carnivorous, T. peltatum is the only one known to be a part-time carnivore. It can unfold special leaves with glands that secrete sticky droplets that trap beetles…
