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In the remote highlands of the central Philippines a team of botanists have discovered a new species of giant carnivorous plant. Word about a possible new species occurred after two Christian missionaries mentioned seeing the plant during a failed attempt to scale Mount Victoria - a rarely visited peak in central Palawan.
The unusual description caught the ears of natural history explorer Stewart McPherson, independent botanist Alastair Robinson, and local expert Volker Heinrich. All three companions are pitcher plant experts, and have a history of travelling to remote locations in search of new species.
Accompanied by three guides, they set off on a two-month expedition to the Philippines, which - like the missionaries before them - included an attempt at scaling Mount Victoria to find this exotic new plant.
As they closed in on the summit, the forest began to thin until the team were eventually walking among scrub and large boulders. Englishman Stewart McPherson recalls what happened next.
"...At around 1,600 metres above sea level, we suddenly saw one great pitcher plant, then a second, then many more. It was immediately apparent that the plant we had found was not a known species."
The discovery turned out to be better than expected as not only did this turn out to be a previously unknown pitcher plant; it is among the largest of all pitcher plant species so far discovered. So big in fact that the bulbous traps are not only able to catch a significant number of insects; they can also trap prey as large as rats!
The team has placed ‘type’ specimens of the new species in the herbarium of the Palawan State University, and have named the plant Nepenthes attenboroughii after broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough.
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5 comments:
What an awesome plant. Finally, the plants get ever for us eating them. LOL! Great post.
Yes, I read about that discovery some six months ago...
Amazing. I love that we are still discovering new species all the time.
This is fantastic. My three sons always wanted me to grow carnivorous plants when they were little. The idea of aggressive plants appealed to them. This new species is gorgeous.
how exciting to think there are still things like that in the world to discover!!!
thanks for that article!
oh hey, you sure they aren't triffids?
LOL, couldn't resist.
pamela
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