Underground carnivore: the first species of pitcher plant to dine on subterranean prey

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Other: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Underground carnivore: the first species of pitcher plant to dine on subterranean prey

A remarkable new species of carnivorous plant was discovered in a remote part of Borneo. It is the first pitcher plant known to produce functional underground traps, and the first for which capture of subterranean prey has been observed. While the traps themselves are often a rich maroon colour, they are produced on shoots that are entirely white, owing to their lack of chlorophyll. The study is published in the open-access journal PhytoKeys.