Sunday, February 17, 2008

Carnivorous Plants (Tuas)

Other than the famous carnivorous plants in Singapore - the pitcher plants, I also learned that there is another carnivorous plants which is totally different from pitcher plants.
Carnivorous plants are basically like any other plants, they photosynthesise. They also produce flowers, fruits and seeds. But most carnivorous plants have been adapted to get extra nutrients from their prey especially on the mineral-deficient soils.
I was at the grassland near Tuas West Drive and was amazed by the abundance of this pitcher plants.
The yellow flower that not more than 1cm in diameter is another carnivorous plants - bladderworts, that can be found here at Tuas. often look like miniature orchids and can have stunning colors and great beauty. Bladderworts have no roots. Their flowers are usually yellow and have two petals which look like lips.This bladderwort lives in shallow water with floating tangle of thin green thread and tiny bladders growing from it. It traps and eats mosquito larvae, miniature worms and other little animals it sucks into its underwater bladder-traps.However, the fate of this beautiful place just like their prey - the end is near! The construction will soon cover the entire area. . .




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