Hello all, i have returned with a carry-on from my previous thread concerning my ever-strange N. mirabilis var echinostoma. Recently, during very hot weather in my greenhouse (38c, 80% humidity), my plant started producing salty nectar. But now, it is producing a deep red "dye" from it`s newest pitcher only. I noticed this as i was misting my plants today when, what looked like blood, started trickling down the pitcher! On closer inspection i saw that the nectar glands on the outside pitcher wall were producing a thick, almost black-red dye which, when sprayed, diluted and ran down the pitcher. I find this amazing and think that some research should be done on this plant as i don`t know of any Nepenthes that produces such a richly coloured substance. I hesitate to call it nectar as it didn`t have any taste whatsoever, unlike the salty syrupy discharge from the same pitcher`s peristome.
A close-up of the glands before misting:
After misting:
Different angle after misting:
The whole pitcher:
So, any opinions on this? I am really baffled, i know that certain butterflies are attracted to the colour red, unlike most other insects. But the pitcher is already liberally coloured in red, and this red "dye" would only be visible after rain.