Triphyophyllum
Triphyophyllum is a carnivorous plant genus with only one species Triphyophyllum peltatum. It is native to tropical western Africa, in Sierra Leone and Liberia, growing in tropical rainforests.
Triphyophyllum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Dioncophyllaceae |
Genus: | Triphyophyllum Airy Shaw |
Species: | T. peltatum
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Binomial name | |
Triphyophyllum peltatum | |
Triphyophyllum distribution | |
Synonyms | |
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It is a liana, with a three-stage lifecycle, each with a different shaped leaf, as indicated by its Greek name. In the first stage, T. peltatum has simple lance-like leaves, and looks nondescript. It then develops long, glandular leaves, like those of the related Drosophyllum. These sticky leaves capture insects. The plant then enters its adult liana form, with short non-carnivorous leaves on a long twining stem.
T. peltatum is cultivated in only three botanical gardens: Abidjan, Bonn, and Würzburg. It is extremely rare in private collections.