New carnivorous plant? Or . . .
. . . the leaf of very young Nepenthes plant.
What are those drosera-like tentacles for? Do they secrete fluid? Does this young form of the plant recall a Nepenthes ancestor that had tentacles on its leaves? If so, did the tentacles evolve before pitchers? Did the tentacles further evolve to become glands that produce fluid? Do the tentacles correspond to the leg extremities of whale embryos that later recede? (Mature whales have tiny remnant leg bones inside their bodies, which recall ancestors that lived on land.) I wonder if someone knowledgeable in biology or genetics can shed some light on these Nepenthes tentacles.
. . . the leaf of very young Nepenthes plant.
What are those drosera-like tentacles for? Do they secrete fluid? Does this young form of the plant recall a Nepenthes ancestor that had tentacles on its leaves? If so, did the tentacles evolve before pitchers? Did the tentacles further evolve to become glands that produce fluid? Do the tentacles correspond to the leg extremities of whale embryos that later recede? (Mature whales have tiny remnant leg bones inside their bodies, which recall ancestors that lived on land.) I wonder if someone knowledgeable in biology or genetics can shed some light on these Nepenthes tentacles.