Fresh Insights into Triphyophyllum peltatum – A Unique Carnivorous Plant

A Triphyophyllum peltatum leaf secretes a sticky substance, designed to ensnare unsuspecting insect prey. Image courtesy of Traud Winkelmann / University of Hannover

Triphyophyllum peltatum is an extraordinary plant hailing from West Africa’s tropical regions. The unique liana species has attracted considerable interest from the medical and pharmaceutical industries due to its distinctive properties. Lab experiments show that its components display potent therapeutic properties against pancreatic cancer, leukemia cells, and disease-causing pathogens like those behind malaria, amongst others.

Besides its medicinal value, Triphyophyllum peltatum also offers fascinating insights from a botanical standpoint. This plant species is the only one known globally that can transform into a carnivore under specific conditions. Its diet then extends to small insects, caught using sticky traps formed by secretion droplets and digested using synthesized lytic enzymes.

Adaptive Phases of Development

The plant displays remarkable flexibility in its developmental phases, with leaves changing based on the stage of development. In the plant’s early life, simple leaves emerge, later transitioning into “trap leaves” covered in adhesive traps. After fulfilling their purpose, these trap leaves either morph back into normal leaves or, in the liana stage, evolve into leaves with two hooks serving as climbing support.

In terms of leaf identity, Triphyophyllum peltatum shows a high degree of adaptability. The developmental stages’ length can vary, and the carnivorous stage can be entirely skipped or deferred until later. Consequently, the plant seems to adjust to its surrounding conditions.

Advancements in Plant Propagation and Cultivation

The factor that triggers the plant’s transformation into a carnivore was previously a mystery, largely due to difficulties in cultivation and studying trap leaves formation. Scientists at Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have successfully resolved this issue.

The team was able to cultivate Triphyophyllum peltatum in the Würzburg Botanical Garden’s greenhouse. They created conditions in Hannover to reproduce the plants under in vitro conditions, in a controlled environment with well-defined nutrient media.

Professors from various institutes were involved in this, including Traud Winkelmann from the Institute of Horticultural Production Systems at LUH, Anne Herwig from the Institute of Soil Science at LUH, and Gerhard Bringmann (Institute of Organic Chemistry) and Rainer Hedrich (Julius-von-Sachs-Institute of Biosciences) from Würzburg.

Phosphorus Deficiency Instigates Carnivorous Transition

The groundbreaking finding, however, was identifying the factor prompting the plant’s carnivorous transformation. The researchers were able to pinpoint phosphorus deficiency as the trigger. Their research, revealing this discovery, was published in the journal New Phytologist.

By subjecting the plant to different stress factors, including nutrient deficiencies, they found that phosphorus deficiency was the only condition to induce the formation of traps. Even a significantly reduced phosphorus supply is enough to kickstart the transition into a carnivorous plant, according to the scientists.

In its natural habitat of nutrient-poor African tropical forests, Triphyophyllum peltatum uses this adaptive ability to form traps, obtaining essential nutrients by digesting its insect prey. “These new findings are revolutionary as they pave the way for future molecular analyses to help understand the origins of carnivory,” the scientists assert.

Reference: “Carnivory on demand: phosphorus deficiency induces glandular leaves in the African liana Triphyophyllum peltatum” by Traud Winkelmann, Gerhard Bringmann, Anne Herwig, and Rainer Hedrich, 16 May 2023, New Phytologist.
DOI: 10.1111/nph.18960

The research received funding from the German Research Foundation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Triphyophyllum peltatum

More about Triphyophyllum peltatum

• Triphyophyllum peltatum on Wikipedia
• Original Research Article in New Phytologist
• Leibniz Universität Hannover
• Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
• Information about Carnivorous Plants
• German Research Foundation