These Carnivorous Plants Glow Under Ultraviolet Light to Attract Prey

Image : A row of pitcher plant species, Nepenthes khasiana, under normal light (top) and under UV light (bottom), revealing their alluring fluorescent emissions. All photos by Rajani Kurup, Anil John Johnson, Sreethu Sankar and Sabulal Baby.

It’s long been known that carnivorous plants lure their insect prey in a range of ways: irresistible nectars, vivid colors and alluring scents that range from rose to rotten flesh.

But recently, a group of scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute in India discovered a previously hidden means of beckoning among the most ruthless of greenery. Some carnivorous plants, they discovered, lure insects to their death with a fluorescent glow invisible to the human eye.

#Physics #Biology #Science #Optics

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Comments

Reshared. I love carnivorous plants :)

Calvin Lin Staff - 7 years, 6 months ago

True. Insects unlike others are adapted to see such fluorescent glow of plants under UV. These adaptations help bees to identify flowers during pollination.

Ramji Varadarajan - 7 years, 1 month ago

Nice I used to have a pitcher plant...Too bad it lost its pitchers and then died >.<

A Former Brilliant Member - 7 years, 6 months ago

new finding.

Shejee Mathew - 7 years, 4 months ago

its kinda phototropus

Emil Lewin Lukose - 7 years, 2 months ago

I tried to grow my own pitcher plant, but it failed

Brylle Viernes - 7 years, 1 month ago

gr8 discovery .........

Piyush Kharche - 7 years, 1 month ago

How they hold insects for to consume?

Sandeep Kumar - 7 years ago

The pitcher has a tiny hair like structures which trap and hold the insects.

Swathi Prakash - 7 years ago

Are these fluorescent glow visible to insects then?

Rashi Kumar - 7 years, 1 month ago

Yeah to a few like honeybees, etc...

Swathi Prakash - 7 years ago

Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `\(` ... `\)` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$