Which of the following is an insectivorous plant?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, Nepenthes. Nepenthes, the tropical pitcher plant, is a carnivorous (insectivorous) plant whose leaf tip is modified into a jug-shaped 'pitcher' holding digestive fluid; insects that slip in are trapped and dissolved. Such plants grow in nitrogen-poor, boggy soils and digest insects to obtain the nitrogen the soil cannot supply — they still photosynthesise for energy.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) This is the lotus genus (e.g. Nelumbo nucifera, the sacred lotus) — an aquatic flowering plant, not carnivorous.  (c) Nyctanthes arbor-tristis is the night-flowering jasmine (harsingar / parijat) — an ornamental shrub, not insectivorous.  (d) This is the tobacco genus (source of nicotine) — an ordinary crop plant that feeds from the soil, not insectivorous.

Concept: Insectivorous (carnivorous) plants supplement their nutrition by trapping and digesting insects. They typically grow on nitrogen-deficient soils (bogs, marshes) and use the insects as a nitrogen source, while still making their own food by photosynthesis. In Nepenthes the trapping organ is a modified leaf that forms the pitcher, with a lid and slippery, enzyme-filled interior.

State PCS 2023 Q7 — Science & Technology PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q7 — Science & Technology PYQ with Answer