Petunias and potatoes may be murderous plants

2009-12-10 05:25:16 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Education, News)

A new study suggests petunias may be carnivorous.

A new study reveals the two plants may be carnivorous.

U.S. (WiredPRNews.com) – Petunias and potatoes may be murderous. As reported by LiveScience, a new study indicates that the plant types may be carnivorous, and the trait may be found in a broader range of plants than previously believed.

Mark Chase, a botanist with the Jodrell Laboratory at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in England, is quoted in the report as stating, “We may be surrounded by many more murderous plants than we think… Although a man-eating tree is fictional, many commonly grown plants may turn out to be cryptic carnivores, at least by absorbing through their roots the breakdown products of the animals that they ensnare.”

Chase is further quoted as stating, “In almost every habitat, the nitrogen and phosphorus that animal bodies can provide are limiting factors for growth, and even a minimal amount of carnivory can reap some benefit.”

More information about the research may be available in the December 4 release of Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.

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