Which Heliamphora species can produce its own proteolytic enzymes?

Heliamphora tatei is the Heliamphora species known to produce its own proteolytic enzymes. These enzymes help digest captured prey, distinguishing it from most of the genus.

Heliamphora are South American marsh pitcher plants from the Guiana Highlands. Their rolled leaves form open tubular traps rather than the lidded pitchers typical of Nepenthes. Nectar produced by a specialized “nectar spoon” attracts prey, while downward-pointing hairs and the trap’s shape hinder escape.

Most Heliamphora species do not manufacture their own digestive enzymes. Instead, they rely largely on enzymes supplied by symbiotic microorganisms living in the pitcher fluid. Field studies found no self-produced proteolytic enzymes in species including H. nutans, H. heterodoxa, H. minor, and H. ionasi.

H. tatei is consequently a useful quiz distinction: it combines the genus’s pitfall-trap design with its own digestive chemistry. It has also been observed to produce wax scales, another adaptation that assists prey capture.