I just noticed this article in the Daily Telegraph (UK).....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6727709/Tomatoes-c
Botanists have discovered for the first time that the plants are carnivorous predators who kill insects in order to "self-fertilise" themselves.
New research shows that they capture and kill small insects with sticky hairs on their stems and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the animals decay and fall to the ground.
It is thought that the technique was developed in the wild in order to supplement the nutrients in poor quality soil – but even domestic varieties grown in your vegetable patch retain the ability. .....................................................
Tomatoes can 'eat' insects
Interesting article. Kind of opens the eyes to plants doing more than we learned about in school, lol.
Link no workie. Repost it please.
I had the same trouble, but deleted the part of the url after wildlife/
Then it gave a choice of some articles and I found the hungry tomatoes article.
Sorry about that. The link seemed to work when I reviewed the post. I will paste below, but here is the link again
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6727709/Tomatoes-can-eat-insects.html
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Tomatoes can 'eat' insects
Garden vegetables such as tomatoes and potatoes have been found to be deadly killers on a par with Venus fly traps, according to research.
By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
Published: 2:42PM GMT 04 Dec 2009
Botanists have discovered for the first time that the plants are carnivorous predators who kill insects in order to "self-fertilise" themselves.
New research shows that they capture and kill small insects with sticky hairs on their stems and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the animals decay and fall to the ground.
It is thought that the technique was developed in the wild in order to supplement the nutrients in poor quality soil – but even domestic varieties grown in your vegetable patch retain the ability.
The killer plants have been identified as among a host of species that are thought to have been overlooked by botanists and explorers searching the world’s remotest regions for carnivorous species.
The number of carnivorous plants is thought to have been underestimated by up to 50 per cent and many of them have until now been regarded as among the most benign of plants.
Among them are species of petunia, ornamental tobacco plants, some varieties of potatoes and tomatoes, and shepherd’s purse, a relative of cabbages.
Researchers at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, which carried out the study, now believe there are hundreds more killer plants than previously realised.
Professor Mark Chase, of Kew and Queen Mary, University of London, said: “The cultivated tomatoes and potatoes still have the hairs. Tomatoes in particular are covered with these sticky hairs. They do trap small insects on a regular basis. They do kill insects.
“We suspect in the domesticated varieties they are getting plenty of food through the roots from us so don’t get much benefit from trapping insects. In the wild they could be functioning in the way that could properly be considered carnivorous.”
The study said it is likely that the meat-eating qualities of many plants has gone unrecognised because they are missing some of the prime characteristics associated with carnivorous species.
The researchers, publishing their finding in the ‘Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society’, said: “We may be surrounded by many more murderous plants than we think.
“We are accustomed to think of plants as being immobile and harmless, and there is something deeply unnerving about the thought of carnivorous plants," they added.
Hi again..... just checked the above link and it works OK for me.
Nick
The last one gives the info. Very good article.
Thanks, knew I loved tomatoes, that gives them an added bonus.
RRM