11 Gruesome Plants

A human-eating plant? Contrary to what you see in the movies, there is no such thing. An insect-eating plant, however, there are many such plants, which are as grotesque in their own way as Hollywood's Venus-flytrap and the like. Others, like the bladderwort, catch their prey with sudden rapid movements, dangerous looking fungi, have noses or flypaper-like discs. Perhaps the least to move yet most deadly carnivorous plant is the pitcher plant, which never has to catch its prey.

The American species of pitcher plant consists of a long stemmed flower surrounded by a slender cone of leaves in the shape of a horn or pitcher. The cone is tipped by a clear pouring canopy. Insects are attracted to the insect-looking plant by its honey-like scent. After wandering into the cone in search of sweet nectar, the insect soon finds itself sliding slowly down the slippery surface of the chamber's inner walls. Sharp downward-pointing bristles prevent it from struggling back into the transparent canopy and tumbles back into the trap. Waiting for the doomed insect at the bottom of the cone is a pool of fluid that contains a narcotic drug. After it has been immobilized by the drug, the insect drowns and is digested by the bacteria in the fluid. The pitcher then absorbs the vital nutrients.

11 可怕的植物

存在吃人的植物吗？与你在电影里看到的相反，并没有这样的东西。不过，吃昆虫的植物有很多，它们以自己的方式和好莱坞的捕蝇草之类的植物一样怪异。其他植物，比如狸藻，会通过突然的快速动作捕捉猎物；看起来危险的真菌则长着“鼻子”或类似粘蝇纸的圆盘。也许最不需要移动却最致命的食肉植物是猪笼草，它根本不用主动捕捉猎物。

美国品种的猪笼草由一朵长茎花构成，花的周围是一个细长的锥形叶片，形状像角或水罐。锥形顶部有一个透明的“倾倒顶篷”。昆虫会被猪笼草类似蜂蜜的气味吸引，误把它当成可食用的植物。在锥形结构里寻找甜花蜜时，昆虫很快会发现自己顺着腔室内壁的光滑表面慢慢滑落。尖锐的向下指向的刚毛会阻止它挣扎着爬回透明顶篷，最终掉进陷阱里。在锥形底部等着这只注定死亡的昆虫的，是一滩含有麻醉药物的液体。昆虫被药物麻痹后会溺水，然后被液体中的细菌分解。之后猪笼草会吸收这些重要的营养物质。