The Cambodian government has been forced to urge people to stop picking rare plants famed for their resemblence to male genitalia.
Sharing images taken from a viral video of three women picking and posing with the carnivorous plants, the Cambodian environment ministry wrote on Facebook: “What they are doing is wrong and please don’t do it again in the future.
“Thank you for loving natural resources, but don’t harvest them so they go to waste.”
It is less than a year since the ministry issued a previous plea for people not to pick the phallic-looking plants in order to ensure their survival, after “a small number of tourists” were caught doing so.
The plants in question are of the Nepenthes genus, which have sometimes been jokingly dubbed “penis plants” or “penis flytraps” after images of them have gone viral online.
The tropical plants are carnivorous, and their cylindrical bodies contain acidic fluid, which they use to kill the insect prey they attract by secreting nectar from the rim at the trap’s entrance.
While Cambodia is home to five types of these pitcher plants, only two species – N. holdenii and N. bokorensis – are endemic to the country, both of which are found in the southwest in nearby mountain ranges.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 2 June 2022 Two of three, 3-month-old Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) cubs in their enclosure at the National Zoological Gardens at Dehiwala in Colombo, Sri Lanka EPA World news in pictures 1 June 2022 Amber Heard leaves Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse after the jury announced split verdicts in favor of both her ex-husband Johnny Depp and Heard on their claim and counter-claim in the Depp v. Heard civil defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia Reuters World news in pictures 31 May 2022 A worker collects plastic bottles to sell at a dump site in Banda Aceh AFP/Getty World news in pictures 30 May 2022 Sunrise silhouettes the US Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va., early in the morning on Memorial Day AP World news in pictures 29 May 2022 A view of the Milky Way over the windmills at the wasteland of La Lora, in Rocamundo, region of Cantabria, northern Spain EPA World news in pictures 28 May 2022 Yang Estrada, 5, plays with a crab on the street in La Panchita, Cuba Reuters World news in pictures 27 May 2022 Nepalese veteran mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa is welcomed by his relatives after arriving at the Tribuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. Kami Rita Sherpa has successfully climbed Mount Everest 26 times, setting a new world record for climbing Mount Everest and breaking his own record EPA World news in pictures 26 May 2022 This aerial view shows French tightrope walker Nathan Paulin walking on a slackline close to Le Mont Saint-Michel abbey, north-western France AFP/Getty World news in pictures 25 May 2022 Sailors and Marines line the deck of the USS Bataan, a US Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, as it sails past the Statue of Liberty among the parade of ships during “Fleet Week 2022” in New York City Reuters World news in pictures 24 May 2022 People ride a metro in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, on May 24, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. – After nearly three months of interruption due to the Russian offensive on the second largest city in Ukraine, the Kharkiv metro, which for a long time hosted people protecting themselves from artillery fire, resumed on May 24, 2022. AFP/Getty World news in pictures 23 May 2022 An aerial view of a massive dust storm advancing into Kuwait City above Kuwait University Campus AFP/Getty World news in pictures 22 May 2022 Two national guard visit the grave of a late soldier in Kharkiv cemetery, eastern Ukraine AP World news in pictures 21 May 2022 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison hugs his daughters Lily and Abbey at a Liberal Party function in Sydney, Australia. Morrison has conceded defeat and has confirmed that he would hand over the leadership of the Liberal Party following his party’s loss to Labor’s Anthony Albanese AP World news in pictures 20 May 2022 People look at the sun rising at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC EPA World news in pictures 19 May 2022 Ultra Orthodox Jews dance around a bonfire during Lag BaOmer celebrations at the traditional grave site of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai at Mount Meron, northern Israel AP World news in pictures 18 May 2022 Dolporn Chumchoochan of Thailand competes during the rhythmic gymnastics women qualifications event at the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi AFP/Getty World news in pictures 17 May 2022 Day laborers eat ice-cream during a hot summer day in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA World news in pictures 16 May 2022 An armed guard at an elephant tusk store in Harare, Zimbabwe. AFP via Getty Images World news in pictures 15 May 2022 Children walk hand in hand out near the scene of a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY AP World news in pictures 14 May 2022 Pope Francis in a wheelchair attends an audience with pilgrims of the Institute of the Religious Teachers Filippini in the Paul VI hall, Vatican City EPA World news in pictures 13 May 2022 Palestinian mourners carry the casket of slain Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aklel, during her funeral procession from the church toward the cemetary, in Jerusalem AFP/Getty World news in pictures 12 May 2022 This is the first image of Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A* for short), the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. It was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope Reuters World news in pictures 11 May 2022 A performer stands in front of thousands of knitted blankets on the school field at Steyn City, to mark the upcoming Nelson Mandela Day, as part of the 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day project in Johannesburg, South Africa EPA World news in pictures 10 May 2022 People walk past a burnt bus near Sri Lanka’s former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official residence, a day after it was torched by protesters in Colombo AFP/Getty World news in pictures 9 May 2022 Russian service members march during a parade on Victory Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia Reuters World news in pictures 8 May 2022 First lady Jill Biden greets Olena Zelenska, spouse of Ukrainian’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, outside of School 6, a public school that has taken in displaced students in Uzhhorod, Ukraine AP World news in pictures 7 May 2022 A man rides his bicycle past a wall mural in Mumbai AFP/Getty World news in pictures 6 May 2022 Returning for the third time since its mining in 1901, the ‘Red Cross’, a fancy intense yellow, cushion-shaped 205.07 carat diamond and a 228.31 carat white diamond called ‘The Rock’ that could fetch 30 million US dollars and is the largest ever seen throughout auction market history are pictured during a preview at Christie’s before their auction sale in Geneva, Switzerland Reuters World news in pictures 5 May 2022 An aerial picture shows a view of Iraq’s southern city of Nasiriyah during a heavy sandstorm AFP/Getty World news in pictures 4 May 2022 Vehicles on fire at an oil depot after missiles struck the facility in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Makiivka, Ukraine AP World news in pictures 3 May 2022 US Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks to pro-choice demonstrators outside of the US Supreme Court Building in Washington, DC. In a leaked initial draft majority opinion obtained by Politico, and authenticated by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the cases Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v Casey should be overturned, which would end federal protection of abortion rights across the country Getty World news in pictures 2 May 2022 Muslim worshippers pray during the Eid al-Fitr morning prayer sermon at a football stadium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as Muslims across the globe mark the end of the Holy month of Ramadan AFP/Getty World news in pictures 1 May 2022 Azovstal steel plant employee Maxim, last name withheld, evacuated from Mariupol, hugs his son Matvey, who had earlier left the city with his relatives, as they meet at a temporary accommodation centre during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the village of Bezimenne in the Donetsk Region, Ukraine Reuters World news in pictures 30 April 2022 Participants march during a lantern parade as part of a Lotus Lantern Festival to celebrate the upcoming Buddha’s birthday, in Seoul AFP/Getty World news in pictures 29 April 2022 A Muslim woman with a child leaves after offering prayers during Jumat-ul-Vida or the last Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at Jama Masjid in the old quarters of Delhi, India Reuters World news in pictures 28 April 2022 Afghan children play in a field in Kabul AFP/Getty World news in pictures 27 April 2022 A ragpicker looks for reusable items while a fire rages at the Bhalswa landfill in New Delhi AP World news in pictures 26 April 2022 Yuri, a Ukrainian farmer, wearing body armor and helmet, works at the topsoil in a field, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine Reuters World news in pictures 25 April 2022 A staff member sprays disinfectant at a cinema as the city starts to reopen after a Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak in Shenyang, in China’s northeastern Liaoning province AFP/Getty World news in pictures 24 April 2022 French President and La Republique en Marche (LREM) party candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (R) holds his fist in the air as he holds Brigitte Macron’s hand after his victory in France’s presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris AFP/Getty World news in pictures 23 April 2022 A performer from the Salgueiro samba school parades during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil AP World news in pictures 22 April 2022 Activists with the environmental group Extinction Rebellion (XRDC) hang a banner from the Wilson Building, the seat of DC’s local governance, for an Earth Day protest to ‘stop all new fossil fuel infrastructure in the nation’s capital’ in Washington, DC EPA World news in pictures 21 April 2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson is dressed in a turban during a visit to Gujarat Biotechnology University, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, as part of his two day trip to India PA World news in pictures 20 April 2022 Britain’s Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, attends the Invictus Games in The Hague ANP/AFP/Getty World news in pictures 19 April 2022 Reporters look on at the Geo-Cosmos, the worlds first spherical display made using organic electroluminescent panels showing a high-resolution model of the Earth, during a media preview at the Miraikanon, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, in Tokyo AFP/Getty World news in pictures 18 April 2022 Service members of pro-Russian troops drive an armoured vehicle during Ukraine-Russia conflict near the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine Reuters World news in pictures 17 April 2022 Firefighters try to extinguish a fire in a residential building following bombardment in central Kharkiv AFP/Getty World news in pictures 16 April 2022 An activist playing the role of a victim takes part in a protest in support of Ukraine under the slogan “March for True Peace in Ukraine”, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in Berlin, Germany Reuters World news in pictures 15 April 2022 A catholic faithful holds a crucifix during a prayer carried out by prelates in the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty World news in pictures 14 April 2022 This areal view shows a man walking across a destroyed bridge north of Durban AFP/Getty
Jeremy Holden, a wildlife photographer who first discovered the N. holdenii species – the location of which is known only to a small number of researchers – said the plants in the images shared by the Cambodian environment ministry last week appeared to be the more commonly found N. bokorensis.
“My plant grows at a few secret locations in the Cardamom Mountains,” Mr Holden told LiveScience. “Bokorensis occurs on the far more accessible Phnom Bokor, which has undergone extensive development in recent years.”
A study published last year in the Cambodian Journal of Natural History warned that the plants’ natural habitats in Cambodia have been “severely reduced” – both in private lands, for agricultural expansion, and in protected areas, for the tourism industry.
Both species can be regarded as critically endangered according to IUCN Red List criteria, the study noted.
