Carnivorous Plants

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Nepenthes, a native of Southeast Asia and Australia, forms pitchers (cups) that hang from trees. Its pitcher is similar to that of the North American pitcher plant in that it relies on a pool of water to trap its prey. It has a most unusual leaf that first looks like a normal leaf, then develops a tendril at its tip, and finally the tip of the tendril develops an amazing pitcher. It gains support by twining the tendril around another plant. The trap, like our own pitcher plant, lures its prey into the pitfall trap by a combination of decaying odors and sometimes a red coloration. As the pitcher develops, it swells and droops due to its weight.

As it matures, it suddenly begins inflates with air. Once inflated it begins to fill with liquid, then opens, revealing the enticing interior. The top of the trap has a lid that initially covers the pitcher until growth is complete. When the leaf is fully grown, the lid opens and the trap is ready.
They attract insects with the odor of nectar. Once inside, the insect finds it cannot get a grip on the walls of the pitcher because a flaky wax on the interior surface peels off as it struggles to climb. Eventually, it falls into the water and struggles to escape. The motion caused by the struggle stimulates digestive glands to release a digestive acid. This acid is so strong that a midge will disappear within hours. The largest of these, the Rajah pitcher, is able to digest mice! Like our own pitcher plant, this one too has its live inhabitants, the largest of which is a small crab.
Insect larvae feed on the decaying remains of prey. Others live in the upper levels and dip down occasionally to seize one of the larval inhabitants. In one case, the plant provides a chamber in its stem where ants live. The ants venture to the pitchers, grab some of the decaying prey, and sit on the lip of the pitcher to dismember it. As they break apart the body, pieces fall back into the pitcher's awaiting pool, where the now smaller fragments decay more quickly than would a whole insect.

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List of carnivorous plants


* 1 Aldrovanda
* 2 Archaeamphora
* 3 Brocchinia
* 4 Byblis
* 5 Catopsis
* 6 Cephalotus
* 7 Darlingtonia
* 8 Dionaea
* 9 Drosera
* 10 Droserapollis
* 11Droserapites
* 12Droseridites
* 13 Drosophyllum
* 14 Fischeripollis
* 15 Genlisea
* 16 Heliamphora
* 17 Ibicella
* 18 Nepenthes
* 19 Paepalanthus
* 20 Palaeoaldrovanda
* 21 Pinguicula
* 22 Roridula
* 23 Sarracenia
* 24 Saxonipollis
* 25 Stylidium
* 26 Triphyophyllum
* 27 Utricularia

[sherlyk]

Venus Flytrap
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is one of the most well-known carnivorous plants. Venus flytraps have two separate leaf lobes that remain open in an attempt to catch their prey. The leaf lobes have several trigger hairs on their inner surface. and when these hairs are touched by an insect, the lobes snap shut. The interlocking teeth that edge the leaf lobe prevent the insect from escaping. The fluids within the insect are digested by chemicals the plant secretes. The remaining materials of the bug are then discarded by the plant when it reopens several days later.
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Pitcher Plants
Pitcher plants (Nepenthes sp.) come in a variety of species and hybrids. True to their name, pitcher plants resemble small pitchers that are used to trap their prey. The surface of the plant is very smooth and slick. An insect perches on the edge of the plant then slides into the pitcher where it lands in a liquid mixture on the bottom. This liquid contains digestive fluids that dissolve the insect, and the plant absorbs the nutrients from the bug into the pitcher walls.

Trumpet Pitcher Plants
Trumpet pitcher plants (Sarracenia sp.) are similar to the Nepenthes species of pitcher plants, though there are a few distinct differences. Trumpet pitcher plant bodies are longer and more tubular than the Nepenthes species. The trumpet pitcher plant contains a narcotic-like nectar that attracts insects. When the insect feeds on the nectar, it becomes intoxicated and slides down the slick sides of the plant into the trumpet. The plant then contracts slightly to restrict the insect from escaping, and the insect is forced into the base of the plant where digestive fluids dissolve its body.

Sundew
Sundew plants (Drosera sp.) belong to the Droseraceae family, commonly referred to as "flypaper" plants. Sundews have mucilaginous glands that secrete a sticky substance on the surface of the plant. When insects land on the plant, they can't escape this sticky substance, similar to the way a fly becomes stuck to flypaper. The plant then secretes digestive fluids, and the nutrients from the insect will be absorbed through the surface of the plant's leaves.

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[sherlyk]

Dangerous Flesh Eating Plants

Scientists have discovered a flesh-eating plant so big that it can swallow and devour a whole rat! This new species is called Nepenthes Attenboroughii, it has been named after British nature expert Sir David Attenborugh..

This plant, which is a member of the pitcher family can grow more than 4-foot long. That's actually one of the biggest carnivorous plants discovered yet. Those plants produce big pitchers which are filled with water and they also secrete nectar that attracts insects and rodents. Once those poor creatures fall in, they cannot escape and end up drowning, and then, the acids and enzymes do their job. Generally, only the bones of the prey remain.

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