A new species of Nepenthes, a carnivorous pitcher plant that boosts its nutrient intake by catching and digesting insects, has been discovered in the Cardamom Mountains.
The discovery was made by Fauna and Flora International and verified by François Mey, a botanist who specialises in pitcher plants. Only around 120 species of Nepenthes are known, most of which occur in Indonesia and Malaysia. The latest discovery brings the known number in Cambodia to five. “The Indochinese plants are poorly studied after being neglected for a century,” says Mey, “so this discovery brings the plants to the forefront of the botanical community’s interest.”
