What is a carnivorous plant? This term frequently conjures up thoughts of a hot and steamy jungle where giant plants lay in wait for humans to unsuspectingly plunge into the throats of enticing and intoxicating flowers, never to be seen again (or so the movie makers would have us believe)!
In actual fact some of the largest prey to be devoured by these plants are frogs. However, that is a very rare instance and most often anything larger than an insect would find carnivorous plants completely harmless! If you were to lie down and fall asleep in a bed of carnivorous plants, the worst that could happen would be some bruised and damaged plants. And you might get some of that acidic sticky stuff that they use for their digestion on you.
A true carnivorous plant spends its life attracting, capturing and killing animal life and then digesting and absorbing the nutrients from its prey. This should not be confused with plants whose flowers attract insects for the purpose of pollination by trapping them on a temporary basis in order to ensure transfer of pollen. These plants include Orchis (Orchids), Arisaema (Jack in the Pulpit) and Nympheae (Waterlilies).
When it comes to the menu of the day, different carnivorous plants have different favourites that vary from genus to genus, as well as habitat. Plants such as Utricularia (Bladderwort) live with their traps submerged in water and catch small creatures such as rotifers (minute aquatic animals) and daphnia (a type of flea); Sarracenia, Nepenthes and Caphallotus (Pitcher Plants) capture foraging insects, such as ants, beetles, butterflies, moths and wasps; and Dionaea (Venus Flytrap) will capture any crawling insect.
The plants I want to introduce to you are a fascinating collection you can actually display on a table or shelf in your home where they will provide hours of educational fun and amusement (kids love them!). These include the Venus Flytrap, Butterwort, Sundew, and the Picture Plant and they all create their own digestive enzymes to digest their prey. Most of these plants are available at garden centres at this time of year.
Dionaea (Venus Flytrap)
This fascinating plant, native to the bogs of North and South Carolina, at one time almost faced extinction due to human fascination and uncontrolled collection from the wild. Today it is propagated in greenhouses.
This plant lures its prey with its attractive red-lined leaves and scent secretions. The open leaves are lined with trigger hairs that cause them to snap shut when touched. If the victim is an insect the trap will remain closed for between five to twelve days while the digestive juices break down the soft parts of the insect. After this period of time it re-absorbs digestive juices and reopens again anticipating its next meal.
Pinguicula (Butterwort)
Butterwort is a carnivorous plant, of which there are more than thirty-five different species, and nine of these are native to the United States. Its botanical name ‘Pinguicula’ is derived from the Latin ‘pinguis’, which means ‘fat’ referring to the greasy texture of the leaves. This plant produces a glandular fluid on its leaves to attract, trap and digest small insects, the leaves curling slightly to allow the fluid to pool around its victim.
During the 19th Century Butterworts were regularly used to control greenhouse aphids.
Drosera rotundifolia (Sundew)
As its common name suggests, Sundew is so called because of the glistening dewdrops to be seen at the end of its tentacles when exposed to sunlight. Over one hundred species exist, of which nine are known to be native to the United States, primarily growing in acidic bogs.
The sticky tentacles attract insects by colour and smell. The insect lands and the tentacles wrap around its victim producing further digestive fluid. Within hours the plant has digested its catch. The Sundew has one of the most powerful digestive systems in the carnivorous plant kingdom.
Nepenthes (Pictur
