Recently when we were in Sri Lanka, we got the amazing opportunity to visit a Nepenthes nursery. For those who are unfamiliar with this species, they are what is commonly known as a carnivorous plant. As the name suggests, these plants get their nutrients by eating insects. This strange anomaly occurs due to the harsh environment in which these plants reside, forcing them to turn to other forms of nourishment which in this case will mean the insects. The Nepenthes is shaped like a cup and traps insects by luring them to their rim, which is coated with a slippery wax-like substance that makes the poor suspect fall into the cup filled with acidic enzymes awaiting them at the bottom. From there begins the slow process in which this plant squeezes out every morsel of energy there is from the insect before its hollowed-out exo-skeleton sinks to the bottom.
Now that you know the basics of how these enthralling plants function, let’s go ahead and step into the largest Nepenthes nursery in the world, the one and only, Borneo Exotics (As you might be a bit confused, to back things up, my dad has always loves Carnivorous plants which is why we went out of our way to visit this nursery). This nursery is run by an award-winning hobbyist who goes by Rob. He has had a passion for these plants ever since he was a small child. Some of his achievements include saving the “Rob Cantolie” from extinction (which is named after him in his honor) and becoming the first-ever nursery to get a perfect score in the Chelsy Flower Show.
An interesting feature that I forgot to mention is that, unlike other carnivorous plants, the Nepenthies can change their attributes to target a specific creature. For example, while walking around in the nurseries, I realized that some of these plants have a white outline around their rim which I later learned had a scent that specifically attracts ants and termites. This is just one of the many adaptations that these plants could make and if I wanted to I could write a whole book around this topic if I had enough time to do so. One of the more interesting Nepenthes we saw included the ‘Nepenthies Lowii’ which relies on a specific tree-top rodent’s feces to survive. These plants have created a symbiotic relationship with the ‘Mountain Tree Shrew’ in which the shrew feeds on the ‘nectar’ which in turn creates a chemical reaction that makes the animal ‘relinquish its artifacts’ into the cup. So yes, it is technically a toilet, nature is beautiful.
The final thing we did in the nursery was visit its tissue culture lab. You may have seen photos of tissue culture and the complex machines the labs rely on and think, “What is going on?” but stripped down to its core, tissue culture is surprisingly simple. First, they get the seeds. Then, when it grows to a certain point they cut off the leaves and plant them separately somewhere else. Then it’s a matter of repetition and you essentially create a whole army of plants just from the original like exponential growth. To get into the lab we first had to sanitize our feet before heading indoors where we were given our pair of lab coats and some very scientific flip-flops. Then, we headed up to visit the archives of plants holding hundreds if not thousands of seedlings. It felt like a scene straight out of the Matrix! The interesting thing is that as the plants develop in their stages, the liquid mixture in which they grow has to be changed depending on their needs. When they are ready to cut, the plants then will be brought down and carefully handled by experts. The interesting thing is that everyone working at the lab was local and was trained to work there. As Rob pointed out, it was easy for him to recruit people because for them it was a choice of working non-stop picking tea leaves in the sun or his place.
After we had said our goodbyes to Rob and his nursery, I could not help but be in awe at his young mindset, and how he had established all of this well after his fifties and still kept expanding while providing job opportunities to the locals. This experience shows that it is never too late to start pursuing your dreams and that if you want to be successful you just need the dedication and patience to keep going. Thank you Rob and Diana for this amazing experience!