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SCMP Reporter

LARGE man-eating plants may be the stuff that science-fiction novels and films are made of, but carnivorous plants are alive and thriving in Hong Kong.

  These innocent-looking plants with an unusual appetite are readily available in most flower shops in the territory, and they provide unusual decoration, as well as being an interesting topic of conversation.

  The Venus flytrap is probably the best known, partly because of its name, and partly because it can be seen to catch its prey.

  As an insect crawls across the cactus-like trap and activates the stimulus, the flat sides of the plant swing shut.

  A row of delicate spikes on either side interlock to form an effective set of prison bars which remain closed until the meal has been digested.

  The most remarkable examples of nature being simultaneously dangerous and protective are pitcher traps whose nectar attracts prey into the ''well'' of the plant from which it is unable to escape.

  In some cases, an insect is deceived into thinking it can escape, like a fly hammering its head on a pane of glass.

  In others, a mass of tiny scales falls off the inside of the plant and buries the insect.

  It seems that nothing can live in such an environment, yet some types of mosquito lay eggs inside the pitcher, and their offspring start life there, well protected from predators.

  The safety of insects is guaranteed for a different reason when the plants require the help of insects to pollinate.

  In some cases, the trap is separated from the pollination area, while, in others, the plant has separate seasons for pollination and trapping.

  The third, and perhaps the easiest, way for a plant to catch its prey is to secrete a sticky substance which acts as a fly paper from which prey cannot escape.

  Just quite how different types of plants have developed in this direction is not obvious, but they generally have a weak root system, and in the past have probably had to adapt to survive in a poor environment by obtaining nutrients in other ways.

  Despite their adaption in the past, carnivorous plants are still at risk, not from a poor environment this time, but from the world's greatest predator - man.

  To conserve these plants in the wild, they are now under the protection of international law, which, among other things, restricts trade in wild species of pitchers and trumpet pitchers.

  The plants on sale in Hong Kong are mainly imported from Holland and are artificially propagated.

  They prefer a sunny environment.

  Pots should stand in a saucer full of water, and pitcher plants must have the pitcher half full of water.

  No fertiliser is needed, and, provided there is a plentiful supply of insects, the plant will need no further help.



Carnivorous 'traps' alive and well in HK