N. bicalcarata "fangs"

From: NPLUMMER@hg-basic1mail.hg.med.umich.edu
Date: Fri Jun 06 1997 - 14:23:19 PDT

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Date:          Fri, 6 Jun 1997 16:23:19 -0500
From: NPLUMMER@hg-basic1mail.hg.med.umich.edu
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg2217$foo@default>
Subject:       N. bicalcarata "fangs"

This morning, I went to the University of Michigan Botanical Gardens and pestered
one of the horticulturalists until he showed me the CP collection *grin*. One of
the plants was a nice Nepenthes bicalcarata. Rodger said that when the plant is
happy, nectar drips down from the lid and coats the two "fangs." He thinks that the
fangs act as part of the trap. Insects try to land on them to feed on the nectar,
slip off, and fall into the pitcher.

I think that makes a lot more sense than some of the explanations that I've read
(i.e. that the "fangs" discourage tarsiers and rodents that raid pichers for
insects). Has anyone else heard a similar explanation?

cheers,
Nick

---------------------
Nicholas Plummer
nplummer@umich.edu
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~nplummer/

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