The carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants that I grow in my conservatory are producing new leaves and pitchers, and one has caught its first fly. Deep inside the pitcher you can see the drowned insect. The dark spots on the inner wall of the pitcher are the plant’s digestive glands which secrete the enzymes that slowly dissolve their prey. The photomicrographs show the glands in the wall at x40 and x100 magnification. They not only secrete enzymes, but also absorb the products of digestion which provide the plants with essential nitrogen, for producing its own proteins. This – in effect – is the plant’s stomach.
