Ministry of Environment Cambodia shared pictures on facebook of three women grabbing a pitcher plant and posing for pictures. Ministry officials asked the public to leave these rare trees alone, Cambodia’s Khmer Times reported.
“What they are doing is wrong and please don’t do it again in the future!” Cambodia’s environment ministry wrote on Facebook. “Thank you for loving natural resources, but don’t destroy it.”
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The tree has the scientific name Nepenthes holdenii, discovered in the Cardamom mountains, southwestern Cambodia. In essence, this is a carnivorous plant with a clever “trap” to catch some insects.
British photographer Jeremy Holden was the first to discover them, hence his name for the tree.
This is not the first time the Cambodian Government has issued warnings against the destruction of plant species.
Nepenthes plants survive in nutrient-poor soils by supplementing their diet with live insects, using their nectar and sweet scent as candy to attract prey.
Insects feed on nectar around the flower’s mouth, and when they fall inside, they are surrounded by the plant’s digestive juices.
According to a 2021 study in the journal Natural History of Cambodia, the pitcher plant’s natural habitat has declined due to the expansion of private agriculture and the development of tourism into protected areas.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Soha.vn – Read the original article here
