Question

In the pitcher plant, which part becomes modified into the pitcher?

• A. Stem
• B. Leaf
• C. Stipule
• D. Petiole

Hint:

Think about which flat green organ of a plant gets reshaped into a jug like trap in insectivorous plants.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Recall what kind of plant a pitcher plant is.
The pitcher plant, for example Nepenthes, is an insectivorous plant, meaning it traps and digests small insects to get extra nutrients, especially nitrogen, from soil that is usually poor in nutrients.

Step 2: Identify which organ forms the pitcher shape.
In the pitcher plant, the leaf itself is modified into a deep, jug shaped structure called the pitcher. The flat blade of an ordinary leaf is transformed into the hollow pitcher body, which holds digestive fluid at its base to trap and break down insects that fall in. Because the whole leaf changes shape for this purpose, it is called a modified leaf, and this is a classic textbook example of leaf modification for a special function, alongside examples like tendrils in peas.

Step 3: Rule out the other plant parts listed.
(A) Stem in the pitcher plant remains a normal supporting stem, it is not the part shaped into the pitcher.
(C) Stipule is a small leaf like outgrowth at the base of the leaf stalk in some plants, but it is not what forms the pitcher structure here.
(D) Petiole is the leaf stalk that connects the blade to the stem. In the pitcher plant, part of the petiole may form a tendril like support leading up to the pitcher, but the pitcher itself, the trapping body, comes from the leaf blade, not the petiole.

Step 4: Final conclusion.
Since the trapping structure develops from the leaf blade being reshaped for catching insects, the correct answer is the leaf.

Final Answer:
The leaf of the pitcher plant is modified into the insect trapping pitcher.