Many of our readers are well aware of the basics of the food chain: from sunlight, plants get nutrients, animals feed on them, and predators feed on other animals. However, not everyone knows that there are exceptions to this rule, as well as to many others: there are carnivorous plants in nature. They attract animals into traps - most often insects, although lizards, snails, and in some cases even small mammals can become their victims.
In this article, we will introduce carnivorous plants to you. Photos and their names will help to appreciate the exquisite beauty of these exotics.
amazing plants
You should know that the so-called carnivorous plants can be found on all continents. Botanists have united this group of perennial herbaceous plants. They often belong to different kinds and families, but they are united by the way to satisfy the “feeling of hunger”.
You may know that plants have an autotrophic metabolism: they convert chemical compounds found in the air and soil into organic matter. They serve as a source of food for many living organisms. The situation is different with carnivorous plants (we will present photos and names below): they make up for the lack of nutrients necessary for their development. chemical compounds due to additional nutrition: insects and much less often small animals.
Usually these perennials grow on rather poor soils, which do not contain enough phosphorus, nitrogen, magnesium, potassium, sodium. On the territory of Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union there are 18 species that are part of 4 genera carnivorous plants. You are probably wondering what they look like. Residents of the northwestern regions of Russia are well aware of the name of a predatory plant that grows in swampy areas: these are two types of sundews - English and round-leaved.
It is interesting that in Russia the sundew from time immemorial has enjoyed good fame. She was even given a very affectionate name - solar or God's dew, dewdrop, royal eyes. Even before the advent of antibiotics widely used today, this plant was used by traditional healers to treat respiratory diseases, for headaches and migraines, as cosmetic product from warts.
Types of carnivorous plants
Insectivorous plants are the collective name for almost 630 species from 19 families that catch and digest small animals, most often insects. So they make up for photosynthesis of one of the forms of heterotrophic nutrition. As a result, carnivorous plants, the photos of which we posted in this article, are less dependent on soil inorganic nitrogen, which is necessary for the synthesis of their proteins.
They are mostly perennial herbaceous plants. Experts believe that real carnivorous plants have evolved in five different groups of colors. How do these unusual creatures eat? What plant is carnivorous? What features does it have? Let's try to answer these questions.
As a rule, "predators" are quite attractive - they are brightly colored, have a strong aroma that attracts insects. In fairness, it should be recognized that some carnivorous plants, photos of which can be seen in floriculture publications, smell so pleasant that not only insects like it. For example, the Venus flytrap has a sweet scent. Indians consider this flower a symbol feminine, harmony and love. But the predatory plant Darlingtonia emits not the most pleasant smell of rot. This is the result of digestive activity.
Over time, the leaves of carnivorous plants have changed, turning into trapping organs: water lilies (urns), which are filled with digesting fluid, sticky traps, quickly triggered traps. For example, a sundew leaf is dotted with droplets of a sticky substance. Americans call this plant grass precious stones. The insect, attracted by the shine, sits on the trap sheet and sticks tightly: the more actively the midge tries to free itself, the more firmly it is fixed in the adhesive composition.
Most carnivorous plants are able to distinguish between edible and non-edible. They do not respond to false signals, such as raindrops. But when an insect sits on a trap, the villi on the leaf wrap around it from all sides, and the leaf curls up into a cocoon. In this state, substances are released from it that are similar in composition to the digestive juice of animals. They dissolve the chitin of the integuments of insects, and the nutrients are transferred through the vessels of the plant. The trap opens after a few days - it is ready to hunt again.
In a fat leaf, the leaf does not fold during the capture of an insect. The nitrogen contained in the victim's body gives an impetus to the production of a digestive fluid: outwardly, it resembles fat, which is probably where the name of the plant came from.
Darlingtonia, Sarracenia and Nepentas hunt a little differently: the leaves of these plants have transformed into jugs that are filled with digestive juice. Insects, hitting the inner wall of the leaf, slide to the bottom of the trap, where they die.
The most active hunter is the Venus flytrap. Its leaves, more like shells, are covered with sensitive hairs. It is worth touching one of them, as the shutters instantly slam shut. The plant begins to secrete digestive substances, and after the completion of the “meal”, the leaves reopen. The digestive cycle of carnivorous plants lasts from five hours to two months.
And now we will present you the most interesting, in our opinion, plants. The names of carnivorous plants are mostly known only to specialists, but we hope that the photos posted under the description will help you remember these unusual representatives of the flora of our planet.
Nepenthes (Nepenthes)
From others carnivorous plants Nepenthes is distinguished by its size: the “jug” of such a plant often reaches a length of 30 cm. Such a trap is ideal for capturing and digesting insects and even small lizards, amphibians and mammals. The plant is famous for its sweet aroma, which attracts victims. As soon as they get into the jar, the plant begins to digest them. This process can take up to two months.
Scientists number about 150 species of Nepenthes, which grow mainly in the eastern hemisphere. Interestingly, the jars of some varieties of these plants use monkeys as drinking glasses, because these are large animals that are not threatened by the role of the victim.
stylidium
Scientists continue to argue about the carnivorous nature of this plant to this day. They did not agree on whether the stylidium is really carnivorous, or in this way, the plant is protected from annoying insects. Some varieties have sticky hairs that trap non-pollinating insects, and their leaves secrete digestive enzymes.
Research is still being done to determine the importance of insects in the life of the stylidium.
Zhiryanka
There are several versions explaining the origin of the name of this plant: digestive substances resembling fat, wide leaves with a special oily coating. The homeland of this carnivorous plant is North, South and Central America, Eurasia. Victims of fatworms get caught in sticky mucus, and food enzymes slowly dissolve them.
darlingtonia
A rather rare carnivorous plant that grows in northern California and the cold waters of the Oregon swamps. It is very insidious: the plant not only lures insects into its jar thanks to its sweet aroma, but also has false “exits” in it. Doomed victims try to climb them to freedom, but only sink more into the sticky slime.
Interestingly, scientists know that a certain type of insect pollinates this plant and remains unharmed, but which one is still unknown to science.
Genlisey
Unlike most of the carnivorous plants that we present to you today, the genlisea's diet most often consists of protozoa and other microscopic organisms, which it attracts and eats using special trap leaves that grow underground. These underground leaves are long, light, and root-like in appearance. In addition to them, the plant also has ordinary green leaves that are above the ground and participate in the process of photosynthesis.
Genlisea is distributed in the regions of Africa, Central and South America.
Venus flytrap
Dionaea muscipula is a small carnivorous plant with an outstanding reputation. The great Charles Darwin considered it one of the most beautiful plants on our planet.
The Venus flytrap grows up to 15 cm wide. The leaves are arranged in rosettes around the underground stem. The plant can have four to seven leaves, all of which are traps that consist of two petals. Spikes are located along the outer edge. The flycatcher grows low to the ground. This makes it easy for insects to crawl into the trap. The flowers are quite small in the shape of a star located at the ends of the stems.
The plant blooms in May-June, and then black small seeds of a carnivorous plant appear. Interesting fact: To minimize false slams, the Venus flytrap has developed a unique mechanism for its trap: it will slam shut only when the victim touches two inner hairs within twenty seconds.
Aldrovanda vesicularis
And this is an aquatic version of the flycatcher that floats on the water surface of lakes, has no roots and lures animals into its miniature traps that close in a hundredth of a second. Venus flytrap and Aldrovand have a common ancestor - a plant that lived on our planet in the Cenozoic era.
Cephalot
The sweet aroma emitted by the cephalothy attracts insects that fall into its trap jar, where the victim is slowly digested. The lids of the plant's jars resemble translucent cages that give insects a false hope of salvation. This plant is related to some flowering plants (for example, oaks and apple trees), which is not typical for other carnivorous species.
Roridula
This is a native South Africa. Despite the fact that the roridula is a carnivorous plant, it cannot digest insects, capturing them with sticky hairs. The plant provides this work to horsefly bugs of the species Pameridea roridulae. Bed bug waste is an excellent fertilizer. In Europe, fossils of this plant were discovered, whose age is estimated at 40 million years.
Carnivorous plants at home
Even experienced growers recognize that to grow such unusual plants pretty hard. Perhaps you have visited exhibitions of carnivorous plants. To grow such samples, certain rules must be observed:
- it is advisable to grow predatory plants in florariums;
- they need soft diffused lighting, they cannot tolerate direct sunlight;
- watering is carried out with soft water. Many flower growers recommend using distilled;
- the vast majority of predator plants do not tolerate drying out of the soil, while excessive moisture is also destructive for them;
- do not fertilize the substrate in which the flower grows (perlite, sphagnum moss, vermiculite). Fertile soils are not used;
- "predators" are almost never transplanted, only occasionally an overgrown plant is transferred to a large container;
- in winter, carnivorous plants enter a dormant period. At this time, "predators" are not fed.
- the awakening of the plant occurs in the spring, when new traps begin to form.
Bloom
Experienced lovers of these exotic plants it is recommended to remove the ovaries of flowers, explaining that this process greatly depletes the plant. This can be difficult to do: most of them are unusually beautiful flowers.
Feeding
Judging by the reviews of flower growers, this is perhaps the most difficult thing in keeping "predators" at home. The ideal food for these plants is what the plant eats naturally.
Zhiryanka and sundew can not be fed, they find food for themselves, provided that they are not kept in a closed florarium. Do not feed flowers with insects that contain a large number of calcium. And fruit flies are quite suitable for this purpose. From seeds, carnivorous plants are grown quite rarely - they do not germinate well. It is more expedient to purchase an adult plant.
There are many strange plants in the world, but the most strange, perhaps, are predator plants. Most of them feed on arthropods and insects, but there are those who do not refuse a piece of meat. They, like animals, secrete a special juice that helps to break down and digest the victim, receiving the necessary nutrients from it.
Some of these carnivorous plants can be grown at home. Which ones and what they are, we will tell further.
Sarracenia (Sarracenia)
The natural habitat of this plant is the east coast North America, but today it is also found in Texas and southeastern Canada. Sarracenia catches its victims with leaves in a flower, which has the shape of a jug with a deep funnel and a small hood over the hole. This appendage protects the funnel from rainwater, which can dilute the digestive juices inside. It contains various enzymes, including protease. Along the edge of a bright red water lily, juice is released, which resembles nectar in aroma. This trap plant attracts insects. Sitting on its slippery edges, they do not hold on, fall into the funnel and are digested.
Important! Today, there are more than 500 species of similar plants in different parts of the world. Most of them grow in South America, Australia, Africa. But all of them, regardless of species, use one of five methods of catching prey: a flower in the form of a jug, leaves closing like a trap, sucking traps, sticky traps, a crab claw trap.
Nepenthes (Nepenthes)
tropical plant that feeds on insects. It grows in the form of a creeper, growing up to 15 meters in length. Leaves form on the vine, at the ends of which one tendril grows. At the end of the tendril, a jug-shaped flower eventually forms, which is used as a trap. By the way, in this natural bowl water is collected, which in natural environment habitation drink monkeys. For this, it received another name - "monkey cup"
The liquid inside a natural cup is a little sticky, sometimes just liquid. Insects simply drown in it, and then are digested by the plant. This process takes place in the lower part of the bowl, where special glands are located for the absorption and redistribution of nutrients.
Did you know? The famous naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who in the 18th century created the system of classification of wildlife that we still use today, refused to believe that such a thing was possible. After all, if the Venus flytrap really devours insects, it violates the order of nature, instituted by God. Linnaeus believed that plants catch insects by chance, and if the unfortunate insect stops twitching, it will be released.Plants that feed on animals cause us inexplicable anxiety. Probably, the fact is that such an order of things contradicts our ideas about the universe.
This insectivorous plant has about 130 species that grow mainly in the Seychelles, Madagascar, the Philippines, as well as in Sumatra, Borneo, India, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China. Basically, plants form small traps and feed only on insects. But varieties such as Nepenthes Rajah and Nepenthes Rafflesiana do not disdain small mammals. This meat-eating flower quite successfully digests mice, hamsters and medium-sized rats.
Carnivorous plant Genlisea (Genlisea)
This gentle, at first glance, grass grows mainly in the South and Central America, as well as in Africa, Brazil and Madagascar. The leaves of many species of the plant, of which there are more than 20, secrete a thick gel to attract and hold prey. But the trap itself is in the soil, where the plant lures insects with attractive scents. 
The trap is a hollow spiral tube that releases the fermented liquid. They are covered with villi on the inside, directed downward from the exit, which does not allow the victim to get out. The tubes also act as the roots of the plant. From above, the plant has neat photosynthetic leaves, as well as a flower on a stem about 20 cm. Depending on the species, the flower may have a different color, but yellow shades predominate. Although genlisea belongs to insectivorous plants, it feeds mainly on microorganisms.
Darlingtonia Californian (Darlingtonia Californica)
Only one plant is assigned to the genus Darlingtonia - California Darlingtonia. You can find it in the springs and swamps of California and Oregon. Although it is believed that this rare plant prefers running water. The trap is the red-orange leaves of the plant. They have the shape of a cobra's hood, and on top of it is a light green jug, from the end of which two leaves hang. The jug, where insects are lured by a specific aroma, has a diameter of 60 cm. Villi grow inside it towards the digestive organs. Thus, the insect that got inside has only one way - into the depths of the plant. It cannot return to the surface. 
Pemphigus (Utricularia)
The genus of these plants, which includes 220 species, got its name for great amount bubbles from 0.2 mm to 1.2 cm, which are used as a trap. The bubbles have negative pressure and a small valve that opens inward and easily sucks insects into the middle along with water, but does not let them out. The plant feeds on both tadpoles and water fleas, as well as the simplest unicellular organisms. The plant has no roots because it lives in water. Above the water releases a peduncle with a small flower. Considered the world's fastest carnivorous plant. It grows on moist soil or in water everywhere except Antarctica. 
Zhiryanka (Pinguicula)
The plant has bright green or pink leaves covered with a sticky liquid that lures and digests insects. The main habitat is Asia, Europe, Northern and South America.
Important! Today, the popularity of carnivorous houseplants has increased so much that botanists keep secret the places where such plants were found. Otherwise, they are immediately ruined by poachers who are engaged in illegal mining and trade in insectivorous plants.
The surface of the leaves of the oilwort has two types of cells. Some produce a slimy and sticky secretion that appears on the surface in the form of drops. The task of other cells is the production of special enzymes for digestion: esterases, proteases, amylase. Among the 73 plant species, there are those that are active all year round. And there are those who “fall asleep” for the winter, forming a dense, non-carnivorous rosette. When the temperature rises environment the plant produces carnivorous leaves. 
Sundew (Drosera)
One of the most beautiful house plants-predators. In addition, it is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants. It includes at least 194 species that can be found in almost every corner of the world, except for Antarctica. 
Most species form basal rosettes, but some species produce vertical rosettes up to a meter in height. All of them are strewn with glandular tentacles, at the ends of which are droplets of sticky secretions. The insects attracted by them sit on them, stick, and the socket begins to roll up, closing the victims in a trap. Glands located on the surface of the leaf secrete digestive juice and absorb nutrients.
Byblis (Byblis)
Byblis, despite its carnivorous nature, is also called the rainbow plant. It comes from Northern and Western Australia, and is also found in New Guinea on swampy moist soils. It grows as a small shrub, but sometimes can reach 70 cm in height. It produces beautiful flowers of purple hues, but pure white petals are also found. Inside the inflorescence there are five curved stamens. But a trap for insects are leaves with a round section, dotted with glandular hairs. Like sundews, they have a slimy sticky substance at the ends to lure victims. Similarly, there are two types of glands on leaves: those that secrete bait and those that digest food. But, unlike sundew, biblis does not secrete enzymes for this process. Botanists are still arguing and researching about the digestion of food by a plant. 
Aldrovanda vesiculosa (Aldrovanda vesiculosa)
When amateur flower growers are interested in the name of a flower that eats insects, they rarely find out about Aldrovanda vesicularis. The fact is that the plant lives in water, has no roots, and therefore is little used in home breeding. Feeds mainly on crustaceans and small aquatic larvae. 
As traps, it uses filiform leaves up to 3 mm in length, which grow in 5-9 pieces along the circumference of the stem along its entire length. Wedge-shaped petioles filled with air grow on the leaves, which allows the plant to stay close to the surface. At their ends are cilia and a bivalve plate in the form of a shell, covered with sensitive hairs. As soon as they are irritated by the victim, the leaf closes along, grabbing it and digesting it.
The stems themselves reach a length of up to 11 cm. Aldrovand grows rapidly, adding up to 9 mm per day in height, forming a new curl every day. However, as it grows at one end, the plant dies at the other. The plant produces solitary small white flowers.
Sakura is most often associated with Japan and its culture. Picnics in the shade flowering trees have long been an integral attribute of the meeting of spring in the Country rising sun. Financial and academic year here begins on April 1, when the magnificent sakura blossoms. Therefore, many significant moments in the life of the Japanese pass under the sign of their flowering. But sakura also grows well in cooler regions - certain types can be successfully grown even in Siberia.
We have prepared a hearty, incredibly appetizing and simply elementary dish for you today. This gravy is one hundred percent universal, as it will suit every side dish: vegetables, pasta, and anything. Gravy with chicken and mushrooms will save you in moments when there is no time or you don’t want to think too much about what to cook. Grab your favorite side dish (you can make this ahead of time to keep it hot), add gravy and dinner is ready! A real lifesaver.
Agriculture is one of those human activity, the successful outcome of which is not always directly proportional to the efforts made. Unfortunately, nature does not necessarily act as our ally in growing plants, and often, on the contrary, throws up new challenges. Intensified reproduction of pests, abnormal heat, late return frosts, hurricane winds, drought ... And one of the springs presented us with another surprise - a flood.
With the coming of the season dacha works the question arises of growing strong and healthy seedlings of our favorite vegetables: cabbage, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplant and many other crops. Along with this, the question arises - how to grow decent seedlings and in the future get healthy plants from it and decent harvest? For example, I have been growing seedlings for more than one season and protecting my garden from diseases with the help of biological preparations Alirin-B, Gamair, Glyocladin, Trichocin.
Let me confess my love today. In love with... lavender. One of the best unpretentious, evergreen and flowering shrubs that can be successfully grown in your garden. And if someone thinks that lavender is a Mediterranean or, at least, southern inhabitant, then you are mistaken. Lavender grows well in more northern regions, even in the Moscow region. But in order to grow it, you need to know some rules and features. They will be discussed in this article.
Having once tasted such an invaluable product as a pumpkin, it is already difficult to stop looking for more and more new recipes for serving it to the table. Korean pumpkin, despite its pungency and spice, has a fresh and delicate taste. After cooking, you will need to cover the salad and let it brew for at least 15 minutes. My nutmeg pumpkin is very juicy and sweet, so there is no need to crush it. If the pumpkin is of a different variety, then you can knead it with your hands so that it slightly releases the juice.
Lettuce, as the earliest and most unpretentious green crop, has always been held in high esteem by gardeners. Spring plantings most gardeners usually start by planting lettuce, parsley, and radishes. AT recent times commitment to healthy eating and big choice greens in supermarkets make gardeners wonder which of these plants can be grown in their beds? In this article we will talk about the nine most interesting, in our opinion, varieties of lettuce.
Another “bonus” is always “attached” to the flowering of indoor roses - capriciousness. When they say that it is easy to grow roses in rooms, they are disingenuous. For flowering indoor roses must be created literally ideal conditions. And vigilant care, attention and response to any plant signals is the main key to success. True, no matter how capricious roses may be, growing them in a potted format can be quite successful. And attentive flower growers should not be afraid of this.
Pollock is best cooked in the form of a casserole, separating the fillet from the skin and bones. Pieces of fish are mixed with a colorful vegetable set, poured with a sauce of cheese, sour cream and eggs. This fish casserole has a presentable appearance, and its taste is a bizarre mixture of subtle nuances. Vegetables and fillets will be soaked in sour cream, the cheese will harden with a golden crust, eggs will bind all the ingredients together. Pieces of fish are abundantly sprinkled with Italian herbs, and pollock acquires an unusual piquancy.
Despite the fact that the calendar spring begins in March, you can really feel the awakening of nature only with the advent of flowering plants in the garden. Nothing testifies to the arrival of spring as eloquently as clearings of blooming primroses. Their appearance is always a small holiday, because winter has receded, and a new garden season awaits us ahead. But apart from spring primroses, there is still something to see and admire in the garden in the month of April.
Growing rapidly and turning into wild thickets, hogweed disrupts the existing ecosystem and suppresses all other plants. Essential oils, contained in the fruits and leaves of hogweed, cause severe forms of dermatitis. At the same time, it is much more difficult to deal with it than with other common weeds. Fortunately, today a tool has appeared on the free market that can rid your site of most weeds in a short time, including cow parsnip.
Carrot happens different colors: orange, white, yellow, purple. AT orange carrot dominated by beta-carotene and lycopene, yellow due to the presence of xanthophylls (lutein); white carrots are high in fiber, while purple ones contain anthocyanin, beta and alpha carotenes. But, as a rule, gardeners choose varieties of carrots for sowing not by the color of the fruit, but by the timing of their ripening. About the best early, middle and late varieties we will tell in this article.
Recommend Enough easy recipe pie stuffed with delicious chicken and potato filling. open pie with chicken and potatoes - this is an excellent hearty dish that is suitable for a hearty snack, it is very convenient to take a couple of pieces of this pastry on the road. The cake is baked in the oven for one hour at 180 degrees. After that we put it on wooden surface, after releasing it from the form. It is enough to slightly cool the pastries and you can start tasting.
The long-awaited spring for many indoor plants is the period of the start of active vegetation, and for the majority - the return of their decorative effect. Admiring the young leaves and emerging shoots, you should not forget that spring is also a big stress for all houseplants. Sensitive to changes in conditions and universal, all indoor cultures face much brighter lighting, changes in air humidity and temperature conditions.
You can easily cook homemade Easter cake with cottage cheese and candied fruits, even without any confectionery experience behind you. You can bake Easter cake not only in a special form or in paper mold. For the first culinary experiences (and not only) I advise you to take a small cast-iron frying pan. Easter cake in a pan will not turn out as high as in a narrow form, but it never burns and always bakes well inside! Yeast curd dough is airy and fragrant.
Surely many have heard of flowers that eat animals and insects. To date, science knows about several hundred such plants. To characterize them, terms such as "carnivorous flowers" or simply "carnivorous plants" are used. Most of them feed on small insects, but there are specimens that can even digest a frog.
There are houseplants that feed on insects. Fans of predatory flowers claim that their pet is excellent at fighting mosquitoes and flies, significantly reducing the population.
What are these plants and why did they become insectivorous?
Such flowers can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Most of them are herbaceous perennials. They belong to two families- Bubbly and Rosyankovye. Plant predators are also found on the territory of the CIS countries. Some of them, for example, alpine butterwort, are listed in the Red Book of their countries.
These plants eat insects. steel in the process of evolution. Most of them settle on poor soils where there is a lack of nitrogen and other vital substances. Thus, eating insects, they get the necessary nutrition. In the process of evolution, the ability to digest animal protein was developed, and the flowers themselves acquired a lot of qualities that could attract attention. Many of these plants have an odor that insects associate with honey nectar, and they use the distinctive color of leaves and flowers as a distraction.
There are predators in which the inflorescence grows in the form of a water lily. In it, as water is drawn into a bowl during rain, and long time kept in excellent condition. Attracted by the opportunity to drink water, the unfortunate insects sit on the petal and slide down to the bottom of the bowl. After the victim drowns, the juice of the plant enters the process, which in its action resembles gastric juice.
The process of capturing a gullible insect as follows. As soon as a bee or butterfly sits on the petals, hairs with enzymes enter the hunting process. The structure of the petal has a lot of traps that can securely hold the insect and it is almost impossible to escape from the bait. Special enzymes containing poison kill the victim, and the juices from his body flow into the tissues of the plant. Only a chitinous shell remains from the insect, which is not digested.
Nevertheless, protein food for predators is only a source of trace elements missing in the soil, because photosynthesis remains the main food.
carnivorous plants
There are about a hundred thousand plants that eat insects in the world. Consider the most famous of them.
Genlisey
The habitat of Genlisei is South America and Africa. The herbaceous plant has traps in the form of a spiral. Thanks to the villi inside the trap, the insect is held back for the further absorption process. It is noteworthy that only those leaves that grow below, along the surface of the earth, are carnivorous. They just feed on small insects and simple microorganisms, acting as roots, while upper leaves absolutely safe.
darlingtonia
Unusual insectivorous plant in the form of a bulb. In the process of evolution, it formed sharp petals in the form of animal fangs. Darlingtonia uses a special claw for hunting. Outwardly, it looks like an asymmetrical flower. with villi inside. An insidious predator uses its own color scheme to lure the prey, which confuses the insect with the help of bright spots on the surface.
Insectivorous plants with water lily traps
- Nepenthes.
- Cephalotus Saccular.
- Sarracenia.
Nepenthes
He, like many insectivorous plants, has petals in the form of a water lily. There are at least one hundred and twenty species of this plant. Some of them are quite large and can even eat small mammals, such as mice. Nepenthes is widely distributed in Asia, Australia and India. Monkeys use this flower as a source of water.. Because of what the natives called Nepenthes "monkey bowl". It grows in the form of a vine with a small root system.
In bucket-shaped flowers, water is constantly present. Insects that sit on a water lily simply drown in it, and then the gastric juice of the plant enters the process.
Cephalotus sacculus
Large strong water lilies with teeth on the edges attract insects with a specific smell. The very surface of the water lilies is smooth and the victim easily slips to the bottom of the inflorescence, from which it is no longer possible to get out. Most often, large tropical ants become victims.
Sarracenia
You can meet her only in the northern United States and Canada. Carnivorous Sarracenia catches its prey with the help of water lily inflorescences. On the petals, which are reliably protected from moisture, digestive juice is formed. It also attracts insects with its specific smell, reminiscent of nectar. Sitting on the surface petal, the victim is paralyzed by the instantly released narcotic poison.
Insectivorous plants that live in water
- Suction bubble.
- Bubble Aldrovanda.
These predators prefer to live in swampy areas where there is a lot of food for them in the form of mosquitoes and swamp flies.
Sucking Bubble
This insectivorous plant can be found in many parts of our planet. It is not, perhaps, only in the Far North. With the power of bubbles that are hollow inside, the bubble sucks its prey. Since the plant lives in water, water fleas and tadpoles become its prey. The process of catching prey is very fast and efficient. A small vacuum cleaner tries to suck up everything that floats by with water, and then releases it, leaving everything you need for itself.
Bubbly Aldrovanda
It lives in water, and prefers swampy areas where there are a lot of insects and tadpoles. . filamentous stems, which are in the water, form a dense growth. The setae are elongated, and there are swellings on the crustacean plates. Thanks to these swellings, Aldrovanda feels the victim and instantly collapses it. The process of digestion takes longer, at the end of which only the shell remains from the insect.
Most predatory plants prefer to catch their prey with a sticky surface.
Sticky Fatty
Its method of catching is similar to sticky tape, which until recently was used in every house against flies. The leaves of the oilseed have a pleasant pink, and in some places, a bright green color. With the help of cells capable of digesting animal food, the plant attracts insects, since the smell emanating from the trunk reminds them of nectar. Sitting on a sticky surface, the victim can no longer take off and becomes food for the flower. There are species that hibernate and hide in a dense rosette throughout the winter months.
Byblis rainbow
Outwardly, this Australian predator similar to sundew, but in fact the plant is special kind carnivorous flora. The rounded leaves have hairs that secrete a pink mucus of a very aggressive action. Cute flowers are painted with all the colors of the rainbow, and inside the inflorescence there are large stamens. The victim, after sitting on a flower, sticks to it tightly.
Venus flytrap
A small carnivorous plant with a thick stem and pretty white flowers is happy to breed in home greenhouses. It has no more than four leaves on each stem. The victim, falling on the leaf of a predator, slams into a trap, after which gastric juice enters the process. The leaves flatten and thicken, increasing in volume. If the victim is large, then it takes at least a week to digest it. The bait, like many predators, is the mucus secreted by the leaf.
A small plant with thin sticky leaves are considered a real glutton among other plant predators. In one day, the Lusitanian Rosolit can catch and digest up to thirty large insects. He lures them with the help of a sweet sticky mass released on the surface of the leaf.
Insectivorous plants in the house
Recently, among fans of home vegetation, growing insectivorous flowers at home has become very popular. You won’t surprise anyone with such exotic things as the Venus flytrap or Sarracenia. People are attracted by everything bright, unusual and dangerous. Someone gets predatory animals or poisonous reptiles, and some of all the inhabitants of the aquarium prefer piranhas. Flower growers are not far behind.
What is needed for a predator plant I felt great in a city apartment.
Did you know that there are several hundred carnivorous plants in the world? No, they are not as scary as in the American movie Little Shop of Horrors. Such flowers feed on insects, tadpoles and even frogs and rats. Interestingly, some predatory plants have long established themselves as useful pets. They claim that home flower, which eats insects, helps fight pests such as mosquitoes, flies, and spiders.
Why did plants switch to animal food?
An insect-eating plant has evolved its diet not from a good life. All species of these carnivores grow on soils with a lack of nitrogen and other nutrients. It is very difficult for them to survive on sandy soils or peat, so some species have adapted to life due to the ability to absorb animal protein. It is animal food that is able to completely renew the reserves of nitrogen and minerals.
Plants use various traps to catch prey. In addition, all plant predators are distinguished by their bright color and attractive smell, which are associated by insects with nectar-bearing flowers. But do not forget that animal food is only "vitamins" for plants, and the main food for them is photosynthesis.
Varieties of carnivorous plants
To date, scientists have described about 500 species of carnivorous plants that belong to 19 families. It can be concluded that the evolutionary development of these groups of organisms occurred in parallel and independently.
The most famous plants that eat insects are:
- sarracenia;
- genlisea;
- darlingtonia;
- pemphigus;
- zhiryanka;
- sundew;
- biblis;
- aldrovanda vesicular;
- Venus flytrap.
An interesting fact: flycatchers have the Latin name muscipula, which in translation into Russian does not mean “flycatcher”, but “mousetrap”. 
The prevalence of entomophagous plants
Carnivorous plants are not only exotic representatives of the biosphere. They are found everywhere - from the equator to the Arctic. Most often they can be found in damp places, especially in swamps. Most of the species are recorded in the southwestern part of Australia. Some species are eurybionts and grow in many biocenoses. The range of other species is more limited - for example, the Venus flytrap is found naturally only in South and North Carolina.
What species grow in Russia
In Russia, there are 13 species of carnivorous plants from 4 genera. The genus Rosyanka is represented by two species: common sundew and English sundew. They grow mainly in sphagnum bogs. Aldrovanda vesicularis found both in the European part Russian Federation, so on Far East and the Caucasus.
The genus Pemphigus in Russia is represented by four species, the most common of which is Pemphigus vulgaris. This is aquatic plants, which differ in their growth rate. They are found in shallow waters throughout Russia (with the exception of the Far North). Also in our area you can meet representatives of the Zhiryanka genus, which grow in swamps, banks of streams, and some - on trees and mosses.
Diet of carnivorous flowers
Most carnivorous plants (sunflowers, sarracenia, nepenthes) feed on insects. The diet of aquatic representatives, such as aldrovands or pemphigus, is predominantly small crustaceans. There are also species that prey on larger prey: fish fry, newts, toads and reptiles. One of the largest representatives of predators, Nepenthes Rafflez and Nepenthes Raja feed not only on insects, but also on mammals such as mice and rats. 
Types of Trapping Organs
Predators catch their prey with the help of traps, which, depending on the species, are of several types:
- pitcher leaves. This design has a lid, and inside it is filled with water (nepentes, darlingtonia);
- trap leaves. The modified leaf consists of two flaps with teeth on the edges. When the insect is inside, the valves close (Venus flytrap);
- sticky leaves. On the leaf plates there are special hairs that secrete a sticky secret that attracts insects (dew, oilseed);
- suction traps. Water, together with the victim under pressure, is sucked into a special vial (pemphigus);
- crab claw traps. Victims easily fall into them, but cannot get out because of the hairs growing forward in a spiral (genlisey).
At home, you can keep the following types of carnivorous plants:
- venus flytrap;
- all types of sundews;
- tropical butterworts;
- sarracenia;
- dwarf nepenthes.
In Russia, the most popular indoor predator is the Venus flytrap. A flower pot should be kept on a well-lit windowsill or on a table with artificial lighting. The air temperature in the room should be between 18–25 °C in summer and 10–13 °C in winter. Since the flycatcher - moisture-loving plant, the soil in the pot should be constantly moistened. Water the plant with clean rain or melt water. 