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Oct 7, 2008: Asplenium ceterach
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Acer circinatum
Oct 7, 2006:
Nepenthes sibuyanensis
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Petasites japonicus var. giganteus
November 18, 2006 : Nepenthes ×ventrata
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Keywords: Nepenthaceae | Nepenthes ×ventrata hort. | cultivated in Austria
Updated January 19, 2007 at 1:07PM local time: I've changed this entry from Nepenthes alata to Nepenthes ×ventrata after the recently received comment and a review of these plants. The accompanying text remains somewhat pertinent, though still more relevant to Nepenthes alata. – Daniel
Another thank you to Monika (aka monika&manfred@Flickr) for submitting a photograph for use on BPotD (original image) – I'm very grateful!
Winged nepenthes, or winged tropical pitcher plant, is native to the Malay Archipelago. A question not addressed in last month's BPotD entry on Nepenthes sibuyanensis is how the pitchers grow and develop in this genus at the cellular and tissue level. Fortunately, a paper exists about these highly modified leaves: Owen, TP Jr. and KA Lennon. 1999. Structure and development of the pitchers from the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata (Nepenthaceae) (PDF link). American Journal of Botany 86(10):1382-1390. It is intriguing to read how slight variations of what might be considered a typical leaf can be combined to produce this complex modified organ.
A few more links to visit: the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facilities at the University of Connecticut has an entry on Nepenthes alata with information about its native habitat. Wikipedia also has an extensive article on Nepenthes, and notes that Nepenthes alata is one of the easier species to grow in cultivation (like the plant in today's photograph).
Photography resource link: “The Eye and The Camera”, an article by Alain Briot for The Luminous Landscape. The essay tackles the differences between what is seen by the photographer and what is captured by the camera from both artistic and technical perspectives.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at November 18, 2006 2:40 AM
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Comments
Posted by: Matt at November 18, 2006 3:40 AM
Striking image. Beautiful lighting and great composition.
Posted by: ~rick at November 18, 2006 6:39 AM
i am growing a tiny pitcher plant in my terrarium and i am always amazed at the development of the pitchers. i didn't even know they were modified leaves :)
Posted by: Petra at November 18, 2006 7:54 AM
Thats a Nepenthes x ventrata (a cross between nepenthes alata and ventricosa) not an alata..
Posted by: smoker at January 19, 2007 7:19 AM
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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
Woazza. What an amazingly interesting form. The winged tropical pitcher plant evokes, in my mind, a surrealistic womb-like inclosure. I’d love to be a tinkerbell in size and explore the inside of one! Love it.