Media

Media and Press Coverage

Underground leaves of Philcoxia trap and digest nematodes

Dr. Peter Fritsch, Vice President of Research at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), describes how over the period of 10 years we discovered the first carnivorous plant known to trap and digest worms underground using adhesive leaves. This species, Philcoxia minensis, is a member of the family Plantaginaceae, which was not believed to be otherwise carnivorous at all. The results were finally published at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States (PNAS), one of the most prestigious scientific journals and it got a great attention from the press. Several articles covering the discovery were published in journals and magazines like Nature, Science, National Geographic, Scientific American and NewScientist.