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 /50World news in pictures
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
World news in pictures
13 April 2022
Two women hug outside a heavily damaged apartment block following an artillery attack during the Russian assault on Kharkiv
Reuters
World news in pictures
12 April 2022
Members of the New York Police Department and emergency vehicles crowd the streets after at least 16 people were injured during a rush-hour shooting at a subway station in Brooklyn
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures
11 April 2022
A university student shouts slogans during a protest against high prices of supplies, postponement of presidential elections and an extension of the president’s term in front of the people’s representative council (DPR) in Banda Aceh
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures
10 April 2022
Girls dressed as Kumari arrive to attend rituals to celebrate the Hindu festival of Navratri at the Adyapeath temple on the outskirts of Kolkata, India
Reuters
World news in pictures
9 April 2022
Volodymyr Zelensky and Boris Johnson walk during their meeting in downtown Kyiv
AP
World news in pictures
8 April 2022
An aerial photograph shows protesters holding a massive Ukrainian flag in Tirana’s main square, as they prepare to march toward the Russian Embassy
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures
7 April 2022
A remote controlled airplane enthusiast launches an electric glider from a cliff in Hong Kong – alternative outdoor activities are increasingly popular in Hong Kong as coronavirus restrictions have closed beaches, gyms and swimming pools.
EPA
World news in pictures
6 April 2022
A firefighter works at the site of burning fuel storage facilities damaged by an airstrike, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Dnipropetrovsk region
Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters
World news in pictures
5 April 2022
A boy jumps into the Yamuna river to cool himself off amid rising temperatures in New Delhi
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures
4 April 2022
Volodymyr Zelensky (2nd L) walks in the town of Bucha, just northwest of Kyiv, after reports that hundreds of civilians were killed
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures
3 April 2022
Displaced Syrian children with boxes of food distributed by a local charity organisation, before the ‘Iftar’ meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at a camp on the outskirts of the rebel-held town of Dana, east of the Turkish-Syrian border in the northwestern Idlib province
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures
2 April 2022
Plumes of smoke billow from the site of a fire that broke out at the Waaheen market in Hargeisa, Somaliland
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures
1 April 2022
Palestinians demonstrating against the expropriation of land by Israel, clash with Israeli security forces in the village of Kfar Qaddum near the Jewish settlement of Kedumim in the occupied West Bank
AFP via Getty
World news in pictures
31 March 2022
Members of Al Fursan aerobatics demonstration team of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) perform over the EXPO site before the official closing ceremony of EXPO 2020 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
EPA
World news in pictures
30 March 2022
Ukrainian rescue workers walk past destroyed Russian military vehicles next to the railway station where the Russian forces were stationed, in Trostyanets town, in Sumy region, Ukraine
EPA
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.