NEPENTHES OU L’URNE DE LA MORT ! TOUT SAVOIR SUR LA PLUS SPECTACULAIRE DES PLANTES CARNIVORES

Just like every week, NewsJardinTV is pleased to offer you a new "botanical story." Dedicated today to Nepenthes, this fascinating tale is detailed by Patrick Mioulane and Roland Motte, the botanist and naturalist journalists who present our major weekly program "Welcome to the Garden!" Nepenthes are tropical plants, mostly from Asia (they also exist in Madagascar, the Seychelles, and New Guinea), of which there are 75 species and numerous natural hybrids. Nepenthes, from the Greek ne, privative, and penthos, grief, refers to the supposed medicinal properties of the liquid contained in the plant's urns, supposed to "soothe sorrow." This is an allusion to Homer's Odyssey, in which Helen, wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, was abducted by the Trojan prince Paris and mixed "nepenthes," extracted from a magical plant, with wine to lull her captors to sleep. The plant's carnivorous behavior was demonstrated in 1874 by experiments conducted by Charles Darwin and Sir Joseph Hooker, then director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in England. Nepenthes are dioecious (unisexual) plants. The semi-erect, spike-shaped inflorescences are formed of four-petaled flowers whose nectar glands attract pollinating insects. The trap is a pitcher (ascidian) that extends from the leaf. The ascidian varies greatly in color and size from one species to another. Measuring 3 or 4 cm in Nepenthes ampullaria, it can exceed 40 cm in Nepenthes rajah and Nepenthes kinabaluensis. In this case, the pitcher's capacity reaches 3 to 4 liters! The entrance to the trap is lined with a shiny area covered with a sugary substance that attracts insects. The peristome directly guides the prey into the sea squirt. It forms a thick ridge with serrated protrusions on the inner side, creating an impenetrable barrier from within the sea squirt. The very smooth walls of the urn are covered with waxy scales that peel off at the slightest touch and help push the prey to the bottom, which contains the digestive fluid. The sea squirt is topped with a sort of lid called an operculum, which is immovable. It acts like an umbrella and prevents light from penetrating the sea squirt, disorienting the prey. Digestive glands are located in the lower part of the trap and secrete a liquid rich in enzymes. The soft parts of the prey are quickly dissolved and assimilated by the plant. Spiders live commensally with Nepenthes, feeding on the waste left by the plant and cleaning it up in the process. Numerous species illustrate this column, which takes you into the fascinating world of the most spectacular of carnivorous plants. These plants are protected in the wild, but there are many horticultural hybrids that can be grown as houseplants. Patrick gives you some valuable tips for success. Here you can find the entire "Botanical Stories" section of the weekly podcast show "Bienvenue au Jardin" No. 40 in its video version. This is an exclusive NewsJardinTV program. Lavishly illustrated, it allows you to better follow Patrick and Roland's advice and access additional information while watching. Of course, NewsJardinTV podcasts can also be listened to wherever and whenever you want in their audio version; either on the NewsJardinTV website or on most major podcast platforms: Apple Podcast, Spotify; Deezer, Google Podcast, Podcast Addict, Tune In, Stitcher, and SoundCloud, etc. The NewsJardinTV team thanks you for your loyalty to our channel. To stay up to date on all our new publications, subscribe by clicking the bell icon in the top right corner of this page—it's free! Since you enjoy our videos, we would love for you to be one of our ambassadors. So, feel free to share NewsJardinTV with your friends who love plants, gardening, and gardens. We thank you in advance. See you soon for new gardening adventures, on NewsJardinTV of course, and every Saturday for a new edition of "Bienvenue au Jardin!"