Pitcher plants often entice their insect victims with sweet nectar before trapping them in inescapable viscoelastic goo. But some species go even further. Nepenthes gracilis, a species native to Southeast Keep reading
Tag: pitcher plants
Sliding Down a Pitcher Plant
Carnivorous pitcher plants supplement their nutrient-poor environments by capturing and consuming insects. The viscoelastic fluid inside them helps trap prey, but fluid dynamics plays a role elsewhere on the plant as well. Keep reading
Pitcher Plant Fluid Dynamics
Carnivorous pitcher plants owe much of their efficacy to the viscoelasticity of their digestive fluid. A viscoelastic fluid’s resistance to deformation has two components: the usual viscous component that resists Keep reading