Nepenthes (The pitcher plant)
Nepenthes is a carnivorous plant. It is commonly called a pitcher plant. This genus is distributed in tropical Asia and Australia. They grow in nutrient-deficient soils with high acidity. In India, N. khasiana grows in Assam.
These plants are usually climbers or epiphytes. The leaves are usually large and modified into pitchers. The lower portion of the base petiole contributes to a tendril-like structure, and the leaf base is flat and looks like a leaf.
The lamina of the leaf is modified to form a pitcher. The leaf apex forms an attractive lid. At the mouth of the pitcher, there are nectar glands. The upper part of the pitcher has a large number of glands and hairs on the inner surface; the middle portion is slippery, while the lower part bears hairs that are curved downward. The pitcher contains acidic fluids at its base. The colored lid attracts the insects. If the insect enters the pitcher, it slips downwards and is drowned in the acidic fluid of the pitcher. Curved hairs on the lower part do not allow the insects to come out. In the meantime, the mouth of the pitcher is closed by the lid. The digestive juice containing proteolytic enzymes digests the bodies of the insects. After digestion, the food is absorbed by the pitcher, and the lid opens to capture another insect.