Discoveries

June 06, 2023

Bloodlust

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Scientists recently understood how a rare tropical plant from West Africa can develop a taste for blood.

The Triphyophyllum peltatum, a rare tropical plant from West Africa, has fascinated researchers for a number of reasons, including its medicinal properties – it is used to treat pancreatic cancer and leukemia cells, Phys.org reported.

Still, it’s the plant’s taste for blood that causes the most fascination.

Scientists recently learned why.

When it’s young, it has ordinary leaves like most plants. However, as it grows, it starts to develop unique leaves with special adhesive traps in the form of secretion drops, so as to capture small insects.

Once caught, the long-stemmed plant feeds itself with the juices of unlucky bugs.

But when the trap leaves have served their purpose, the T. peltatum either forms normal leaves again or leaves with two hooks at the tip as a climbing support.

So how does this happen?

In a new paper, a research team was able to successfully cultivate the plant outside its native soil and conducted a series of experiments to understand the dietary shift.

They subjected the T. peltatum to various stressors, including deficiencies of different nutrients. It turned out that a lack of phosphorus caused the plant to develop its special palate.

The findings showed that the plant adapts to its environment and avoids the threat of malnutrition through this unique survival trick.

“These new findings are a breakthrough because they allow future molecular analyses that will help understand the origins of carnivory,” the authors said.

This story originally appeared in the June 06, 2023 newsletter, 'Cool' Crimefighting.