Endangered Davao plant offers $ income opportunity

A recent UP Mindanao research study hints that there is more to saving the critically endangered Nepenthes or Pitcher plant. Highly priced by plant hobbyists, researchers and collectors, the conservation and propagation of this plant variety could actually spell huge dollar income opportunities for Mindanao where they grow naturally.

After five years of research and experimentation, UP Mindanao College of Science and Mathematics Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco Jr., and Cyrose Suzie C. Silvosa, through research grants from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Philippine Council for Agricultural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), found that Nepenthes can be mass propagated using tissue-culture techniques.

Nepenthes truncata Macf or what is more popularly known as “pitsel-pitsel,” is endemic to the forests of Mindanao, specifically to the forests of Marilog district, Davao City. The plant forms large pitchers or modified leaves that can measure as long as two feet from the lid. It has a carnivorous “feeding” behavior. Pitchers or modified leaves secrete enzymes that digest trapped insects or small mammals such as mice. The Nepenthes variety is considered the King of Carnivorous Plants.

The plant’s very peculiar dietary behavior has attracted the interest of many plant hobbyists, researchers, and collectors. Small plants sell at $13 to $40 per piece. They are mostly gathered from the wild but rarely survive due to incompetent handling.  

Those interested in learning more about UP Mindanao’s research on pitcher plants may call UPMin’s Office of Research at telefax (082) 293-1830. Address queries to Mitchiko A. Lopez at [email protected], or visit http://www.upmin.edu.ph.