Plant
Genera
Drosera Paraxadora
Nepenthes ampullaria
Ultricularia Gibba
Pinguicula laueana flower
Cephalotus pitcher plant
A dragonfly, drowning in a sea of Pinguiculas!
Drosera callistos flower
Drosera scorpioides
Darlingtona (cobra pitcher plant)
Sarracenia Leucophylla
Heliamphora Pitcher Plants
Drosera capillaris
Sawtooth Dionaea
Nepenthes clipeata Juvenile
Left overs from a Dionaea's tasty meal!
Sarracenias in their natural habitat
Ultricularia alpina flower
Pinguicula Gemmae
Pinguicula primuliflora bud
Deformed Dionaea traps
Dionaea
Emily's Dionaea Muscipula
Trapping Method
The Dionea, or Venus flytrap, has active jaw-like traps. The jaw consists of two green leaves (bordered by marginal spines) , which when exposed to extensive light and warmth will turn red, this part of the plant is called the lamina. On the interior of each leaf, there are three to five trigger hairs. The hairs can sense rapid movement. They generate an electrical signal, which changes the water pressure in various areas of the leaf, causing the trap to snap shut. That whole process takes one to five seconds depending on the activeness of the trap.
Once the trap is firmly shut and the prey is enclosed, powerful enzymes
are secreted from the walls ofthe trap. With time the animal/insect in
question, will decay and the plant absorbs the nitrogen it needs. The
plant is also helped by it’s arch enemy - bacteria! It can help to rot
the carcass of the insect, but if there is too much, the plant can
become infected and die.
Nervous Systems
Botanists are fascinated and confused about the trapping mechanisms of the Venus flytrap, because it leads them to believe that these plants may have nervous systems. However, this is just a hypothesis, and there is no evidence to support it.
Leaf Closure
A rather Dramatic Dionaea animation (there is no blood in real life)
During the digestion of an insect, the leaves go through three stages of closure. The first is when the trap is loosely closed around the prey and the marginal spines are barely interlocked. Second, after a thirty minute period, the leaf tightens to ensure that the prey is completely immobilized, and the spines are fully interlocked. The third and final stage is when the marginal spines on each lobe are separated from each other and the trap is sealed. Leaf closure is very crucial to insure that molds (which are fatal to Venus flytraps) cannot grow inside, due to the lack of oxygen
Aldrovanda
Aldrovanda Vesiculosa
Overview
The Aldrovanda is the Dionaea’s aquatic cousin. It is native to Australia, Japan, Africa and Europe. There is only one species of Aldrovanda: Aldrovanda vesiculosa; however there are several sub-species.
Anatomy
Similarly to the Utricularia, it doesn’t have a root system. It has free floating stems, which grow leaves around them, in such a way, that they look like wheel; this is why they where nicknamed:“water wheel plant” There are eight leaves per “wheel”. At the extremity of each leaf is a trap that closely resembles that of a Dionaea. On the inside of each trap, there are approximately 40 trigger hairs.
Drosera
seductive Sundew!
Physical Characteristics
The Drosera or Sundew is a carnivorous plant that appears all over the world in temperate and tropical regions. Red or transparent tentacles grow along their leaves. These tentacles are covered in droplets of dew- like substance that form a little ball at the extremity of each hair.
Traps
The Drosera has semi-active traps, that use a fascinating combination of sweet smelling dew and brightly coloured tentacles to lure insects from far and wide. This method would normally be considered passive, due to the fact that there is no movement involved in the initial capture, however the leaf will often curl up during the digestion period, therefore it is a semi-active trap.
Trapping Method
Drosera (probably capensis) animation from (in real life, the movements would be much slower)
Once the insect has smelt the sweet scent of the misleading nectar, it is drawn towards the mesmerizing sheen of the sticky tentacles, it can no longer hold itself back, and it flies strait to the awaiting Sundew. As the insect prepares to have a drink, the tentacles tighten, and they grow tighter as the it struggles. Eventually, the leaf will curl up, and the tentacles release digestive enzymes which breaks down the insect enough so that the Sundew can absorb it’s quota of nitrogen. Then the carcass is left to decay, or fall to the ground. This whole process can take up to one month, or as little as four days, depending on the size of the insect, and wether or not the plant is fully out of dormancy.
Specimens
Emily's Drosera Capensis
There is a wide variety of Drosera’s that can be found all over the world, in all different shapes, colours and sizes.
The Drosera Aliciea can be found in Australia, it has rounded leaves, and grows in a rosette form, it’s flowers are pale purple or white, and they vaguely resemble columbine flowers. They may also grow coils that look a lot like the Sundew’s close “relative” Drosophyllum.
Drosera Anglica is native to North America, and grows in wet boggy regions. They have skinny stalks that have wide round heads. They grow strait up from the ground in a sort of rosette form. They are generally quite small.
Drosera capensis is a tropical sundew, it is evergreen, meaning it doesn’t go through a dormancy period. It has very skinny stalks that branch out from the center, it can grow to be quite large.
Drosera Adelae, is one of the most beautiful Drosera specimens, in my opinion. It has triangular leaves and the flower stalk grows in a coil that looks sort of like a fiddle head, but at the end it bursts into scarlet flowers shaped like stars.
Ultricularia
(Speedy suction traps!)
Ultricularia flowers
Ultricularia Traps (under the water view)
Physical characteristics
The Utricularia or Bladderwort is a carnivorous plant that can be aquatic or terrestrial, it does not have a root system. Instead, ant the base of each plant, where the roots should be, there is a series of bladder-like sacks. The flowers that these plants produce are quite similar to orchids, they are attached to the “bladders” by a long green stalk, that reaches out of the water.
Trapping Method
Ultricualria trapping and digesting a poor defenseless insect
The genus Utricularia, has the most active traps, the trapping process can take as little as one thirtieth of a second. Each sack has a trap door, above the flap are two censored trigger hairs, when they are touched (generally by an aquatic insect, like a water beetle or a mosquito larvae) the trap door opens, and the bladder dilates, filling up with water, and pulling in the unsuspecting insect. Once inside the trap, digestive enzymes are released, and the small insect decomposes over time, and the plant absorbs the nutrients that it needs.
Nepenthes
(A Tropical terror!)
Physical
characteristics
The Nepenthes is a beautiful exotic plant, it grows in tropical
bogs and rain forests. The actual traps are attached to the plant by long
stems that come out of the tip of each leaf.
The shape of each trap, or pitcher varies on the quantity of light
the plant is exposed to, and the age of the plant; so the identification
of each genera can be quite difficult. A interesting trait that the
Nepenthes has, is the leaf that grows just above the opening of the
pitcher,
Trapping Method
A villainous Nepenthes Lures the unsuspecting insect to it's doom!
Nepenthes plants use active traps to catch a wide array of insects,
as well as the occasional frog, bird or small rodent. The traps are
passive, because they take no action during the trapping process.
Insects are drawn to the plant by the sweet smell of the enzymes
inside the traps, and the brightly coulored pitchers.
However, once they have made it to the bottom of the pitcher, it is
impossible to climb out due to the waxy texture of the walls. Eventually,
the insect will drown, and rot away slowly, the carcasses don’t usually
completely decay.
Pinguicula
Brief
Overview
The Pinguicula,
also known as the butterwort, is a highly divers plant. It grows in the
United States and in Canada, as well as in Mexico and in Europe. They grow
large sticky leaves that can be red or green depending on the amount of
light they are exposed to. Some specimens grow orchid like flowers, which
are very attractive to insects, and such. They are classified as a passive
trap, because they take no action during the capture. The sticky leaves
are covered in dewy glands which insects are drawn to. Once the insect
comes into contact with the leaf, it is instantly stuck, though it may
take several hours until the it is completely immobilized.
Mexican
Pinguicula
These plants, as you may have guessed, are native to Mexico. They
are generally epiphytic (i.e. they grow on trees), or they grow in bogs
and marshland. They produce very sweet aromas, which is one of the main
reasons that these plants are so attractive. They usually grow in a
rosette form.
South
Eastern American Pinguicula
The South
Eastern Pinguicula are found in flat muddy regions. They also grow in a
rosette form, but their leaves are more jagged, and they curl up around
the edges, therefore, the rosette can look sort or like a star. They
require a lot of air circulation, therefore, carnivorous plant cultivators
find it difficult to grow them in a terrarium.
One Particularly interesting specimen is the P. Planifolia, it’s
leaves are a reddish-brown, so they are easily identified.
Boreal
Pinguicula
This Plant grows in Europe, and North America. It is different from most Pinguiculas, because of it’s dormancy during the winter. The leaves and roots wither, and die, until all that is left is a small, tight bud. It will remain in bud form until spring, and then it will start producing leaves, and flowering again.
Physical
characteristics
The Sarracenia is a pitcher plant that is native to North America
(hence, it’s common name: North American pitcher plant). They share many
of the same properties as the Nepenthes, but they grow erectly from the
ground, and they are cone or trumpet shape (except in a few cases such as
the Sarracenia rosea and the Sarracenia Psittacina.This plant has adapted
extremely well to it’s surroundings, not only is it carnivorous (to
supplement for the lack of nitrogen in the soil); but also grows a small
leaf overtop of the “lip” of the pitcher, so that rain water cannot
dilute the digestive enzymes inside.
Trapping
Method
The Sarracenia uses precisely the same method as the Nepenthes:
insects are drawn to the sweet scent of the enzymes inside the pitcher,
and the bright colour of the plant. However once it is inside the pitcher,
it slips on the waxy walls and the slippery hairs that cover the wall. At
the bottom of the pitcher, there is a pool of digestive enzymes, that
decomposes the insect. The one difference is the hairs that grow along the
walls of the pitcher, they are key part of the capture, because the walls
of the Sarracenia are not as slippery as those of the Nepenthes.
Could
They Be Carnivores?
These are plants that have not yet been proven to be carnivorous, but that scientists have suspicions about.
Bromeliads
Bromeliads are found in Florida, and tropical regions of South
America. There are several species of this plant, yet only two are on the
list of potential carnivores: B. Catopsis, and B. Brocchinia. Their long,
hardy green leaves grow in rosette form. At the center of the rosette,
there is some sticky liquid which insects often get caught in, and the
liquid supposedly digests these insects.
Capsella
This plant grows in wetlands in Europe. It’s common name is
Shepard’s Purse. It’s seeds release a mucus-like substance when
moistened. Insects are often captured with this liquid, and will
eventually die and rot away. The rotting remains of the insects often
serve as a fertilizer to the plant, but there is some question to whether
or not this means the plant is carnivorous.
Passiflora
There are many species of Passiflora or “passion flower”
however, only one is thought to be carnivorous: the Passiflora Foetida.
When this plant flowers, it produces glandular bracts, a bract is a leaf,
that has a flower or a cluster of flowers growing at it’s axel. Enzymes
have been found in the plant tissues, however, no enzymes have been found
in the bract itself.
Pictures From: http://www.amherstgreenhouses.com/photo/tropical/bromeliad.jpg, cricket.biol.sc.edu/ acmoore/527/plants.html.