Carnivorous plants are quite widespread throughout the world. In nature, there are 450 species of similar plants, which are combined into six families. Insects form the basis of their diet, therefore carnivorous plants often referred to as insectivores.
Carnivorous plants are a miracle of nature. They are amazingly adapted to life in places characterized by a lack of nutrients in the soil. These plants have become predators! The need for survival requires them to be able to catch live prey.
Carnivorous plants obtain food in five ways. Some of them use pitcher-shaped traps, others use sticky traps, the next use crabs, the fourth use suction traps, and the fifth use flapping leaves.
Carnivorous plants have "developed" many ways to lure insects. For example, in some predatory plants, the edges of the trapping leaves have a bright red color, while in others, the inner walls of the leaf secrete a sugary substance that attracts insects.
Venus flytrap 
The most famous of the carnivorous plants is the flycatcher (Dionaea muscipula), but its Russian-language name is the Venus flytrap. According to one version, this plant predator was named after the Roman goddess because its trap leaves are shaped like a female genital organ.
The trap itself is located on a short stem and outwardly resembles an open shell of mollusks. Along the edges of the flaps there is one row of teeth, comparable to long eyelashes. However, all this is just an entourage, while the real weapons are glands and trigger hairs. The glands are located along the inner side of the teeth-eyelashes and secrete a sweet-smelling nectar, which is so difficult for insects to pass by. When the victim crawls inside the trap, triggers come into play - they react to touch. The trap does not close immediately, only a few consecutive touches to the triggers (and there are three of them on each leaf) are able to close the trap. Dionea, having received an insect in her trap, begins the process of digestion. The same glands that produced nectar begin to secrete abundant digestive juice, in which the insect drowns. It usually takes several days to digest, after which the valves open again, revealing to the world only the chitinous shell of the victim.
Sundew 
The round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) is practically the only carnivorous plant growing on the territory of the former Soviet Union. It is found mainly in the northern and central regions of our country. The photo shows that it owes its name to small droplets of sticky liquid that are on the hairs that cover the leaves of this plant. These droplets glisten in the sun and are very similar to dew. It is in them that the digestive enzyme lies, which allows the sundew to digest insects, and thus receive the necessary nutrition even on poor peat soils.
It is very interesting to watch how the sundew catches insects. Unlike the Venus flytrap, the sundew does not close its trap. And the point here again is in the droplets covering the leaves. They are sticky enough to deter an insect that has had the imprudence to be seduced by the sweet fragrance of this plant.
After the insect has stuck, the leaf begins to slowly roll up, surrounding its victim with more and more transparent sticky liquid. After the complete folding of the leaf, the process of digestion begins, which usually takes several days. After this process is completed, the leaf unfolds and is again covered with droplets.
Nepenthes 
Spectacular and original pitcher belongs to the genus Nepenthes (Nepenthes), which includes several dozen species of plants of the Nepenthaceae family. The unusual shape of this flower immediately attracts attention. Even after seeing a photo of Nepentes just once, you can fall in love with him completely and irrevocably. But its main feature is that Nepenthes is a predator flower. Its attractive brightly colored jugs contain a liquid that allows the flower to be digested and used as insect food.
Sarracenia 
Sarracenia, or the North American carnivorous plant, is a genus of carnivorous plants found in areas of the East Coast. North America, in Texas, in the Great Lakes, in southeastern Canada, but most are found only in the southeastern states.
This plant uses water lily-shaped traps as a trap. The leaves of the plant have developed into a funnel with a hood-like formation that grows over the opening, preventing rainwater from entering, which can dilute the digestive juices. Insects are attracted to color, smell, and secretions like nectar at the edge of a water lily. The slippery surface and the drug that surrounds the nectar encourage insects to fall inward, where they die and are digested by protease and other enzymes.
darlingtonia 
Darlingtonia Californian is the only member of the Darlingtonia genus that grows in northern California and Oregon. It grows in swamps and springs with cold running water and is considered a rare plant.
Darlingtonia leaves are bulbous in shape and form a cavity with a hole under the swollen like balloon, structure and two sharp sheets that hang down like fangs.
Unlike many carnivorous plants, it does not use trapping leaves to trap, but uses a crab claw-type trap. Once the insect is inside, they are confused by the specks of light that pass through the plant. They land in thousands of dense, fine hairs that grow inwards. Insects can follow the hairs deep into the digestive organs, but cannot go back.
Genlisey 
Genlisea consists of 21 species, usually grows in humid terrestrial and semi-aquatic environments and is distributed in Africa and Central and South America.
Genlisea is a small herb with yellow flowers that use a crab claw-type trap. Such traps are easy to get into, but impossible to get out of because of the small hairs that grow towards the entrance or, as in this case, forward in a spiral.
These plants have two various types leaves: photosynthetic leaves above ground and special underground leaves that lure, trap and digest small organisms such as protozoa. The underground leaves also perform the role of roots, such as water absorption and attachment, since the plant itself does not have them. These underground leaves underground form hollow tubes that look like a spiral. Small microbes get into these tubes with the help of a stream of water, but cannot get out of them. By the time they get to the exit, they will already be overcooked.
Pemphigus 
Bladderwort (Utricularia) is a genus of carnivorous plants with 220 species. They meet in fresh water or moist soil as ground or aquatic species on all continents except Antarctica.
They are the only carnivorous plants that use the bubble trap. Most species have very small traps in which they can catch very small prey such as protozoa. Traps range from 0.2 mm to 1.2 cm, and larger prey, such as water fleas or tadpoles, fall into large traps.
The bubbles are under negative pressure relative to the environment. The opening of the trap opens, sucks in the insect and surrounding water, closes the valve, and all this happens in thousandths of a second.
Zhiryanka 
Oilwort (Pinguicula) belongs to a group of carnivorous plants that use sticky, glandular leaves to lure and digest insects. Nutrients obtained from insects supplement the soil, which is poor in minerals. There are approximately 80 species of these plants in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
The leaves are succulent and usually bright green or pink in color. There are two special kind cells located on the upper side of the leaves. One is known as the peduncle and is made up of secretory cells at the top of a single stem cell. These cells produce a slimy secretion that forms visible droplets on the surface of the leaves and acts like Velcro. Other cells are called sessile glands, and they are found on the surface of the leaf, producing enzymes such as amylase, protease, and esterase that aid the digestive process. While many species of butterwort are carnivorous all year round, many types form a dense winter rosette that is not carnivorous. When summer comes, it blooms and has new carnivorous leaves.
Byblis 
Byblis, or the rainbow plant, is small view carnivorous plant native to Australia. The rainbow plant gets its name from the attractive slime that coats the leaves in the sun. Despite the fact that these plants are similar to sundews, they are not related to the latter in any way and are distinguished by zygomorphic flowers with five curved stamens.
Its leaves have a round section, and most often they are elongated and conical at the end. The surface of the leaves is completely covered with glandular hairs, which secrete a sticky mucous substance that serves as a trap for small insects that land on the leaves or tentacles of the plant.
Aldrovanda vesicularis 
Aldrovanda vesiculosa is a magnificent rootless, carnivorous aquatic plant. It usually feeds on small aquatic vertebrates using a trap trap.
The plant consists mainly of free-floating stems that reach 6-11 cm in length. Leaves-traps, 2-3 mm in size, grow in 5-9 curls in the center of the stem. The traps are attached to the petioles, which contain air that allows the plant to float. It is a fast growing plant and can reach 4-9mm per day and in some cases produce a new curl every day. While the plant grows at one end, the other end gradually dies.
The plant trap consists of two lobes that close like a trap. The holes of the trap point outward and are covered with fine hairs that allow the trap to close around any prey that comes close enough. The trap closes in tens of milliseconds, which is one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom.
Cephalotus 
Cephalotus is the one and only predator from distant Australia. Despite their tiny size (adult plants usually reach only 7-10 cm), cephalotuses are incredibly attractive and interesting. The plant perfectly copes with the role of a hunter, some tricks help it in this. The slippery edges of jars, sharp spikes that prevent insects from getting out of the trap, and special cells devoid of pigment on the lid of the jar that let in light and create a deceptive impression of "open sky".
And of course, the deadly digestive fluid at the bottom of the trap. Such is the insidious and cunning little cephalotus. However, from the outside it seems defenseless and requiring care and attention. And this is also his little trick.
Heliamphora 
Heliamphora is a predatory beauty native to South America. Its name comes from the places in which it lives, "a jug of swamps" - this is how "Heliamphora" is translated. And indeed, most of all, the plant looks like bright jugs that have grown in inconspicuous gray swamps.
The method of hunting heliamphora is simple and straightforward. The predator attracts insects with nectar, which is produced in the so-called nectar spoon located on the hood of the jug, and when the insect sits on the jug, it literally rolls down the smooth slippery walls inside, where digestion takes place. As they say, everything ingenious is simple.
This is how you think before you start a flower at home.
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 of the Russian Federation and in the Far East and the Caucasus.
The genus Pemphigus in Russia is represented by four species, the most common of which is Pemphigus vulgaris. These are aquatic plants that 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. The 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. 
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✪ PLANTS that EAT ANIMALS!!!
✪ Predator plants
✪ Plants predators
✪ Predatory plants. Venus flytrap
✪ Predatory plants. predatory flowers
Subtitles
Most plants get their food from the soil they grow on. But what about plants living in areas with insufficient nutrients? Evolution solved this problem and presented the world with amazing creatures - plants that turned their stems and leaves into deadly traps. They have learned to dissolve and assimilate the bodies of their victims, and most importantly, they have developed unique ways to lure prey. Predators in our garden, which have become a unique link in the food chain! These "green predators" live, as a rule, in places with a lack of nitrogen and mineral salts in the soil, and animal food is an excellent source of both. Meat-eating plants can eat in the same way as their non-carnivorous counterparts, but this makes them lethargic and shortens their life cycle. Today, more than six hundred species of carnivorous plants are known, divided into three groups: "insectivorous", whose prey is mainly insects; "water" - fishing for catching micro-crustaceans; and the eat-it-your-catch group, plants that have traps large enough to catch small animals. After a successful hunt, the caught game is digested by some kind of "gastric juice" that is produced by the special glands of the plant, or the caught creature dies and rots, and the plant absorbs the decomposition products. The only carnivorous plant whose process of catching insects can be seen with the naked eye is the cell plant - the Venus flytrap. Its leaves look like the mouth of an unknown monster. Each mouth is dotted with thorns-fangs, which act as lattices in the cage, when the leaf slams shut, the prey can no longer get out of it. In the case when the leaf slams shut empty, or something inedible gets into it, it will open itself within half an hour. If an insect is caught, the trap remains closed for several weeks until the food is completely absorbed. This "green monster" grows in a humid temperate climate on the Atlantic coast of the United States (Florida, North and South Carolina and New Jersey). The representative of insectivorous plants in Europe and the CIS countries is Rosyanka. Most often it can be found in the middle strip of Russia growing in swampy areas, in places poor in useful minerals - the so-called "acidic soils". In the summer, a blooming sundew can be recognized by small white flowers growing on a long stem-peduncle. The very same sundew, a rather inconspicuous marsh insectivorous grass with leaves lying on the ground, dotted with hairs. The liquid secreted by the hairs is very similar to dew, but in reality it is a glue that is deadly to insects, as well as an enzyme for digesting prey. The victim, attracted by the smell of this "pseudo-dew", sits on a leaf and sticks to it. The hairs press the unfortunate creature to the surface of the leaf, the enzyme begins the process of dissolving food, and the leaf itself, meanwhile, curls up, depriving the captive of the last chance of salvation. The remains, which the sundew has not digested, fall to the ground, after which the leaves take on their usual form, the hairs are covered with sticky “dew” beads and a new hunt begins. Some especially large species of sundew can catch even careless frogs and small birds. About 130 varieties of this plant are known to science. In conditions similar to the habitat of the sundew, you can meet another "green predator" - the sourdough. It looks like a rosette of large leaves tapering at the end, covered with a shiny sticky fat-like mass. During the flowering period, a stem with a purple flower grows from the center of the rosette. The principle of hunting and feeding zhiryanka strongly resembles sundew. Insects, attracted by the smell of "fat", stick to the leaf, which is wrapped inward, and the digestive secretions break down the prey. The resulting minerals and amino acids are absorbed by the plant, then the leaf unfolds and waits for the next batch of "guests". Darlingtonia also loves swampy terrain, and outwardly resembles a cobra, ready to throw. It is for its jugs, shaped like a snake's hood, that Darlingtonia received the nickname "Cobra plant". This is a truly insidious plant: it not only lures insects into its jug with a sweet aroma, but also has numerous false "exits" on its walls, pointing down and not allowing the victim to get out. But pemphigus is a predator plant whose habitat is stagnant water. Pemphigus is deprived of the usual roots for plants, which is why it preys on insects and small crustaceans. Trapping "bubbles" are located along with the leaves under water, only its flowers float on the surface. The "bubbles" have a certain "entrance", which opens as soon as an insect is nearby. The signal to open the "bubble" comes from the probe hairs located near the "entrance". When an insect catches a hair, the "bubble" opens and draws the prey inward along with water. Then the digestion of food begins. The habitat of another carnivorous plant called NepEntes or Pitcher, is tropical forests. It grows mainly as a liana, but among the 80 varieties of this plant there are also shrubs. The pitcher got its name for the special shape of the leaves, reminiscent of a jug, which helps it collect rainwater. These "jugs" are also large enough to catch frogs, rodents and small birds. However, insects remain the main prey of Nepenthes. On the inner part of the walls of the pitcher there are glands that produce nectar and wax. Nectar lures prey, and smooth wax does not allow to get out and the insect, falling into the water at the bottom of the jug, drowns. The next predatory plant is the handsome Byblis. The range of this low shrub is Northern Australia and southern New Guinea, as well as small areas in Western Australia. Byblis branches are dotted with narrow long leaves, on the surface of which there are bristles and glands that secrete a strong adhesive substance and a digestive enzyme. Both insects and small animals fall into such a trap. Australian Aborigines once believed that the Byblis was even capable of catching and digesting a human. But this did not stop them from using biblis leaves as a source of glue. And this bright representative of insectivorous plants lives in swamps and belongs to the Sarraceniaceae family. Sarracenia has bright flowers and bright green leaves dotted with crimson capillary lines. Its leaves resemble envelopes exuding sweet juice. Once in such a trap, the insect is doomed. And the scenario with digestion and assimilation is still the same. And although the process of hunting Sarracenia is not as spectacular as, for example, hunting a Venus flytrap, it is nevertheless quite interesting to watch a flower. Today, these miracle plants can be purchased at many flower shops, including through the Internet. The buyer has a very wide choice. So, if you have a desire to decorate your house and at the same time clean it from annoying insects, these “green predators” can help you with this.
Historical information and study
carnivorous plants became known in the 18th century. The very first accurate botanical description of the Venus flytrap ( Dionaea muscipula) was made by the English naturalist John Ellis in a letter to Carl Linnaeus in 1769. In the letter, Ellis suggested for the first time that the insects he caught were food for plants.
AT early XIX century, a number of new genera and species belonging to this group of plants were described. So, Kortals in 1835 described the phenomenon of insectivorousness in plants of the genus Nepenthes ( Nepenthes) .
Soon there were works devoted to a deep study of the characteristics of such plants. In 1861, Auger de Lassu described the sensitivity to touch and movement of the leaves of plants of the genus Aldrovand ( Aldrovanda). In 1868 an American scientist William Canby first pointed out the digestive properties of the juice secreted by the glands on the leaves of the Venus flytrap.
The next step in the study of insectivorous plants was research Charles Darwin, started with observations of sundews in 1860. At the same time, Darwin set up a series of laboratory experiments that grew into research. He studied the "tastes" of plants and compiled a "menu". Darwin was attracted by the ability of plants to digest food, their grasping movements, high sensitivity to touch - that is, properties similar to those of animals. Subsequently, these experiments became serious scientific work, which absorbed many unique observations and bold, but reasonable conclusions.
Darwin was so captivated by this work that in a letter to Lyell he wrote:
Darwin for a long time did not dare to publish the results of his research. Only 15 years later, when they were supplemented by other researchers, he published the book "Insectivorous Plants" (). The second edition of Insectivorous Plants, with large additions written by his son, appeared after Darwin's death in 1888.
The work of Charles Darwin marked a turning point in the study of carnivorous plants. As K. Goebel writes (1893),
<…>hardly any other department of botany in modern times attracted the attention of a wider circle than the so-called insectivorous plants. The reason for this was in particular the extensive work of Darwin, which gave impetus to the appearance of numerous other works.
However, this work did not immediately find recognition among scientists of its time and was subjected to severe criticism, in most cases because of their fundamental differences with Darwin's new evolutionary theory. Director of the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden E. Regel (1879) expressed the opinion that Darwin's statement about the existence of insectivorous plants in nature belongs to the number of theories,
over which every sane botanist and natural scientist would simply laugh, if it did not come from the famous Darwin. We hope that the cold mind (der kuhle Verstand) and the thorough observation of our German investigators will soon throw this theory, like the theories of primary genesis, parthenogenesis, alternation of generations, etc., into a box of scientific rubbish, which the former followers of such theories themselves least of all ever want to open.
However, until now, Darwin's fundamental work is the largest contribution to the study of carnivorous plants.
Evolution
Template:Biophoto Data on the evolution of insectivorous plants is extremely scarce due to the small number of fossil remains of the latter. Fossils, most of which are represented by seeds or pollen, have not been found enough. Most representatives of insectivores, being herbaceous plants, lack dense structures such as bark or wood, and the trapping formations themselves are probably not preserved as fossils.
Botanical description
Insectivores are predominantly perennial herbaceous plants, but subshrubs and small shrubs are also found.
The largest known insectivorous plant is the giant biblis ( Byblis gigantea), a small (up to half a meter) shrub from the Biblis family, growing in Australia. Not only insects come across in it, but also snails and even frogs and lizards. Nepenthes - tropical lianas with a lignified stem, grow up to 4 m in length (winged Nepenthes). There are species of Nepenthes that attract small mammals with nectar and use their excrement as fertilizer.
They live mainly in swampy meadows and swamps, in the water of fresh water reservoirs. Rosolist ( Drosophyllum), a shrub up to 30 cm high, growing on dry sands in North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Local farmers have long used this plant instead of sticky fly paper, hanging it inside their houses.
Animals are used as an additional source of phosphorus, potassium and other elements. Insects are caught using modified leaves - trapping organs. Attract insects by color, smell or sweet secretions. On the surface of the leaves there are glands that secrete digestive enzymes: pepsin and organic acids (formic, benzoic and others), which digest the caught prey, breaking down animal proteins. The products formed as a result of such extracellular digestion, mainly amino acids, are absorbed and assimilated.
- actively catching - with actively moving organs for catching insects (dew, flycatcher);
- passively catching;
- with mucous and sticky secretions on the leaves, catching insects (rosolist, zhiryanka);
- with traps - jugs, bubbles and the like (pemphigus, nepenthes, genlisia, sarracenia).
Trap types
Plants use five main types of prey traps:
- trapping leaves in the form of pitchers;
- leaves that close in the form of traps;
- sticky traps;
- suction traps;
- crab claw trap.
The type of trap does not depend on whether the plant belongs to a particular family.
Loss of predation
Template:Biophoto Many plant species can be classified as protoinsectivores or parainsectivores. Plants that can extract the nutrients they need from insects adhering to their surface are called protoinsectivores; however, unlike insectivorous plants, they lack special trapping devices and do not have an attractive smell and secretory glands. Protoinsectivorousness is common for plants with glandular pubescence (yellow ibicella, some types of cinquefoil, geraniums) and sticky stems (tar). Parainsectivorous plants have partially lost the ability to catch and digest small animals and, in the course of evolution, have adapted to use other sources of nutrients. One of these plants is Nepenthes pitcher ( Nepenthes ampullaria), which, along with attracting, catching and digesting arthropods, has the ability to obtain nutrients from the falling leaves of other plants that fall into its trapping "jug". Another example is Nepenthes Low ( Nepenthes lowii). Preliminary studies have shown that this species is presumably adapted to "catching" bird droppings, feeding on its nectar and sweet secretions. Nepenthes Attenborough ( Nepenthes attenboroughii), native to the Philippines, synthesizes sweet nectar on the lid of a jug. Small animals love to feast on this nectar - tupai, which use these jugs as a toilet. From the animal's feces, the insectivorous plant receives nitrogen and phosphorus - and produces a new portion of attracting nectar, completing the cycle.
Pemphigus purpurea ( Utricularia purpurea) has partially lost the ability to catch prey. At the same time, she developed a mutualistic relationship, providing her bubbles for algae and zooplankton to inhabit.
cultivation
Template: Biophoto Although different kinds carnivorous plants are differently demanding on lighting, air humidity and soil, they are united by some common features.
Watering
Most carnivorous plants require rain or other specially prepared demineralized water with a slightly acidic, almost neutral environment (about 6.5).
Ordinary tap or drinking water contains mineral salts (in particular, calcium salts), which quickly accumulate in tissues and can destroy the plant. This is because most carnivorous plants grow in acidic, nutrient-poor soils and are therefore extremely sensitive to excess calcium and excessive amounts of nutrients. Since most of these plants grow in swampy areas, almost all of them are moisture-loving and do not tolerate drought. Although there are exceptions, for example: tuberous sundews, which need a dry (summer) dormant period, and the Lusitanian dewberry ( Drosophyllum lusitanicum) growing in dry conditions.
"Feeding"
Plants grown outdoors are able to provide themselves with the necessary number of insects. Insects can be fed to plants by hand to supplement their diet. However, carnivorous plants are generally unable to digest large quantities food, which can rot in the trap, which, in turn, can lead to the death of the plant. Small carnivores, such as some species of ants and spiders, dive directly into the digestive juice and eat the prey caught by the plant, thereby making it easier for the plant to digest.
A carnivorous plant that does not catch insects rarely dies, although its growth may be retarded. In general, these plants are best left to fend for themselves. After watering tap water, the most common cause of the death of the Venus flytrap is the mechanical impact on the traps in order to examine them up close and “feed” them, for example, with cheese or other products.
illumination
Most carnivorous plants require bright light, and most will look better under these conditions, as this encourages them to synthesize red and purple pigments called anthocyanins. For Nepenthes and Pinguicula absolute UV is the best condition, however for most other species direct sunlight is acceptable.
Humidity
Carnivorous plants mainly grow in swamps, and therefore require high humidity. On a small scale, this can be achieved by placing the plant pot on a wide tray of pebbles that are constantly moistened. Small species of Nepenthes grow well in large terrariums.
Temperature
Many carnivorous plants come from cold temperate regions and can be grown outdoors, in swamps, in gardens. all year round. Majority Sarracenia can tolerate temperatures below freezing, despite this, most species are native to the southeastern United States. Kinds Drosera and Pinguicula can also tolerate low temperatures. Nepenthes are species that are tropical, requiring a temperature rise of +20 to +30 °C for flowering. Template: Biophoto Many Sarracenia hybrids developed are very unpretentious, in particular, they are quite undemanding to the content of nutrients in the soil. Most value 3:1 peat mix Sphagnum to sand (coconut is an acceptable and more environmentally friendly substitute for peat). Nepenthes orchids will grow in compost or pure sphagnum moss.
Pests
Beginner gardeners can recommend species originating from cool temperate climate conditions, in greenhouse conditions (minimum 5 ° C in winter time, maximum +25 ° C in summer) such plants will feel good in wide trays with rain or acidified water in summer period, and under conditions humid air in winter.
The Venus flytrap can live in these conditions, but it is actually quite difficult to grow: despite good care, in winter it is often exposed to gray mold infection, even if it is well ventilated.
Some of the lowland Nepenthes ( Nepenthes) grow very quickly in relatively constant warm and humid conditions.
Insectivorous plants as an artistic image
Template: Biophoto Insectivorous plants have always attracted interest, which is reflected in works of art, films, commercials, computer games, where they were often credited with the ability to reach enormous sizes and other extraordinary properties. One of the first rumors, later debunked, about
Everyone knows that plants feed on substances removed from the soil (or other plants), they need water, light and - most of them - heat. Many people also know about a flower that eats flies, and for some reason the majority are afraid of it, considering it almost a monster. Meanwhile, predatory plants are simply living organisms, placed by nature in such conditions that they had to survive in a non-standard way. Rather, they deserve respect for their vitality and perseverance in evolution. Strictly speaking, flowers that eat flies are on the same level, for example, with tigers, which are also by no means vegetarians. And besides, most of the plant predators are amazingly beautiful.
Why did predatory plants appear?
In order to become, we had to work hard and grow additional organs and glands in the course of evolution to produce the necessary enzymes. Without such a set, not a single plant could catch, hold and digest an insect. To maintain the functionality of this complex system a flower that eats flies spends great amount forces. Scientists believe that carnivory becomes justified only when the plant lives in very specific conditions, because some insectivorous flowers have even lost the ability to photosynthesize for the sake of their trapping organs. Such circumstances are soils poor in phosphorus and nitrogen. In other words, swamps. No wonder everyone comes from such areas. Loss " solar panels"In this case, it is quite understandable: the plants do not shade, and they have enough of the light that meager leaves produce.
Vulnerability of plant predators
The life of a flower that eats flies is not so simple in itself. An insect, not too successfully and firmly grasped, is quite able to escape from the trap. And even if it dies afterwards, the plant predator will remain hungry. Plus the realities of civilization: in modern world it is precisely those qualities that have been developed over millennia that can destroy flowers that eat flies. Washed from the fields nitrogen fertilizers and discharges from power plants are oversaturated with nitrogen, which kills plant predators. The second threat they cannot defend against is poaching. Growing up in last years the demand for it encourages adventurers to seek out wild venus flytraps and sell them almost on the side of the road. Those copies that remained "in the hands" of sellers are indifferently thrown away. In addition to all these troubles, the result of land development is the disappearance of the habitat of predatory flowers. So, it is quite possible that in the next half century they will remain only in greenhouses and home collections.
Sundew's trappings
In the vastness of our country, almost everyone knows only one flower that eats flies. It bears the name "dew". It is amazing beautiful plant, pubescent with fine hairs that end in droplets of sticky secretions. Insects mistake them for water; an additional incentive to their approach is the aroma of sundew. When the midge is firmly stuck, the leaf begins to slowly curl up. Already in a folded state, he digests his prey.
How does a fat lady hunt?
Another flower that eats flies and is found in the Russian expanses is zhiryanka. She received a not very euphonious name for the mucus with which the leaves are covered. Thanks to it, the surface gleams, as if greased. The mechanism of attracting insects is by smell, the method of use is similar to how the sundew assimilates the victim. Only the leaf does not fold: it is covered with digestive glands. So as soon as the mosquito sticks, it immediately begins to be absorbed.
Venus flytrap (Dionea)
It is because of its method of hunting that this flower, which eats flies, is a tasty prey for a poacher. No other predatory plant closes the trap, and moreover, so effectively. Considering that the leaves are equipped with cloves along the edge, the hunt looks like a trap slammed shut or wolf teeth snapped. Again, the process of digestion is hidden, in contrast to the same butterwort, so that nervous observers are spared from observing the "torment" of the insect and the need to sympathize with it. All these features have made the flycatcher a desirable pet for many indoor growers. There is a very large number of those who want to boast that a flower that eats flies lives on their windowsill. The price stops some, but it cannot be said that it is so excessive. On average, in specialized stores for a Venus flytrap, they ask for 600 rubles; however, small copies can be bought for three times cheaper.
By the way, you can buy not only Dionea from predator plants. Nepenthes, and sarracenia, and sundews, and other carnivorous flowers are on sale - in the same price range.
The idea that the representatives of the flora inhabiting our planet serve as food for herbivores, reptiles and insects is firmly rooted in the human mind. Their share in the human diet is also large. But there are such types of carnivorous plants that do not wait to be eaten, but they themselves are not averse to feasting on living organisms.
Cause of carnivorous plants
Almost everything that grows from the earth feeds on its juices. To do this, they have a root system, often very branched, through which nutrients enter the stem, and then are absorbed, turning into wood, fiber, leaves, and sometimes beautiful inflorescences pleasing to the eye. The better the soil, the more opportunities. This applies to all types of flora, from grass to huge redwoods. Unfortunately, climatic diversity does not always contribute to the growth and survival of biological objects. The land is not fertile everywhere. So we have to adapt, not only to people, but also to all our other space satellites. Indeed, in essence, we are flying in space, surrounded by a dead vacuum, and our world has become alive because we have air, water, heat and much more, which is essential. Carnivorous plants feed on creatures that are on the evolutionary ladder above them, not because of innate cruelty, they are forced to obtain the substances necessary for their life activity because there is nowhere else to take them.
Insidious beauty
The food for predatory flowers is mainly insects. They rarely sit down on everything, except to rest a little. Boat bugs are also constantly looking for something to profit from, such is the fate of all living beings on the planet. Of course, carnivorous plants could simply wait for the right opportunity, but then most of them would hardly have survived. Therefore, they take the initiative on the same principle as people who claim that luck is in the hands. In the absence of limbs, a predator plant uses the organs at its disposal, namely leaves and flowers. Capricious insects can be attracted by aroma, color and the beauty that harmless daisies, poppies or daffodils captivate bees and butterflies, with the only difference that they should be even more seductive, at least from the point of view of insects.
Mechanism of plant digestion
And now a gullible insect sits on a predator plant in the hope of feasting on nectar. The structure of the leaves contains traps, divided according to the functional load into baits and grips. Organs capable of attracting insects various shapes(for example, in the form of cilia, like in Sarracenia, or jugs of water, with which Nepenthes lures its victims). The main thing is for the insect to fly closer, make sure that it is offered an unprecedented treat, and make a fatal landing for itself. After that, the predator plant uses hairs that firmly hold the victim for the time necessary for the leaves or petals to close, blocking the escape route. There is no more hope for salvation. Through the release of special enzymes, the insect is killed, its vital juices containing useful substances (nitrogen, phosphorus, alkali metal salts, etc.) pass into the tissues of the killer flower. All that remains is what cannot be digested - chitinous shells.
Sarracenia - evil queen
She is from the New World. It lives mainly in the southern part of North America, although it is also found in Canada, but less often. This predatory plant uses special leaves for hunting, also called trapping, similar to a funnel with a cape-hood. This cover protects the opening from which the tempting insect odor is emitted from rain and excessive diffusion of the nectar-like secretion liquid. Sarracenia bait also contains a substance that has a relaxing effect on the victims, similar to a narcotic effect. The leaf surface is smooth and slippery. Under the charm of the sweet smell, bugs or flies themselves tend to get into this terrible funnel, from which there is no way out. Having fallen inside, the victims are digested and dissolved by protease and other caustic enzymes.
Who can eat Nepenthes?
If, in terms of beauty, Sarracenia, perhaps, ranks first among insectivorous flowers, then in terms of size, the priority rightfully belongs to Nepenthes, an inhabitant of the South Pacific region. He lives in Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, China, India, as well as the Philippines, Seychelles, Madagascar, Sumatra and the island of Borneo. The local primates use this plant as a source of water in the heat, so its other name is "monkey cup". The leaves of the Nepenthes resemble a water lily, they are connected to long stems, like those of lianas. The bait is plentiful, it can be more or less sticky. Unfortunate insects fall into this liquid, drown in it, and then dissolve. Most of the Nepenthes species are of very moderate size, but there are real giants among them. It's not just carnivorous plants. Photos of Nepenthes Rajah or Nepenthes Rafflesiana, with an appetite to eat birds, mice and even rats, make an indelible impression. Fortunately, for larger mammals and humans, they do not pose a danger.
Genlisei and her claw
Carnivorous plants also live in Africa. On the "Black Continent" there are over two dozen species of a rather beautiful yellow genlisey flower. It is also widespread in South America. Genlisei, with its asymmetrical shape, resembles a crab's claw, which is easy to hit, but almost impossible to escape. The thing is that the hairs growing on its inner surface are arranged in a spiral, and their direction prevents reverse movement. At the same time, the hunt for all living things is carried out not only over earth's surface(this is a matter of photosynthetic outer leaves), but also in the soil, where microorganisms are sucked in together with soil water through hollow tubes, also spiral. Digestion of food occurs directly in the channels of its intake.
Color hallucinations of California Darlingtonia
Insectivorous plants amaze with a variety of methods for misleading their victims. So, California Darlington, which hunts near rivers, lakes and springs with cool water, has the shape of a bulb. In the center of this miracle of nature is a hole with two fang-shaped leaves, quite sharp. The Darlingtonia itself lives underwater. Its difference is that it does not use leaves for catching, insects get inside it through the “crab claw”, an asymmetrical petal. But the main catch lies in the color disorientation of the victim, achieved by many light-shadow transitions, into which the insect plunges, once inside. These insectivorous plants simply drive their victims crazy with the help of specks on the light-conducting shell, and they can no longer understand where is up and where is down. In addition, the hairs give them the right direction.
Sucking Bubble
The unique bubble trap is characteristic of the plant with the sonorous name Utricularia. It is small, the largest of the bubbles reach a centimeter or a little more. Accordingly, the prey is modest, pemphigus is saturated with tadpoles and water fleas. But the diversity and range are impressive. There are more than two hundred species, and you can meet this predator almost everywhere, except perhaps the tundra or Antarctica. The technique used in hunting is also unusual. A small vacuum is generated inside the bubbles, and the flower, like a small vacuum cleaner, sucks insects passing by along with water. This happens very quickly, the whole process from opening the trap hole to plugging it takes some microseconds.
Sticky Fatty
Practically complete analogue duct tape, which only a couple of decades ago in the summer hung from the ceiling of almost every diner. True, the Pinguicula, or fat-wort, is much prettier than those dark brown spirals from the past. Bright green or pink leaves outside covered with two types of cells. The peduncular glands, located closer to the stem, produce a mucus containing a glue that attracts the smell, and at the same time securely fixes insects. This is the same sticky. The second type of cells are the so-called sessile glands. They belong directly to the digestive system and produce protease, esterase and amylase, that is, enzymes that decompose living organisms into components useful for the plant.
Some types of butterwort hide under a dense rosette for the winter in order to bloom again in the spring and continue the merciless hunt, spreading carnivorous sticky leaves.
rainbow bibles
This predator lives in Australia. It's hard to imagine a beautiful slime, but that's how you can define its surface. In appearance biblis has some resemblance to the sundew, but it is a very special kind of carnivorous plant.
In cross section, the leaf is round, it is provided with a conical sharp end. The hairs growing on it exude a viscous substance of beautiful iridescent hues. Flowers are also not without aesthetic appeal and are equipped with five curved stamens. The hunting mechanism is not particularly original. The insect sticks, as a rule, it is small. Here he ends.
Aldrovanda - floating trap
Bubble Aldrovanda lives in water. She is a record holder in two categories. Firstly, this carnivorous creature (it is difficult to call it a flower, rather some kind of algae) grows very quickly, almost a centimeter daily. This does not mean that aldrovanda will soon flood all tropical water bodies. How fast it lengthens, just as fast it shortens. This plant has no root, it grows at one end and dies at the other.
Second unique feature aldrovanda biologists consider it a trap. They are very small, up to three millimeters, but they are enough to catch small aquatic vertebrates, and do it quickly. The trap consists of two halves covered with hairs. The response time is measured in tens of milliseconds, which is a kind of speed record. Such a rapid movement of a living organism has no analogues.
Our sundew
But not only in exotic countries live insectivorous plants. Species distributed in the Far Eastern regions, Siberia and the European part of the Russian Federation (and there are three of them) can survive in the cold due to the ability to form reliably thermally insulated buds. Having survived in the winter, they come to life in the spring and begin hunting for bugs and flies that are greedy for delicious aromas. An example is the plant-predator sundew, whose range occupies almost the entire temperate climatic zone in both the northern and southern hemispheres. After wintering, not very long shoots are knocked out of the buds, living for one year. The leaves growing on them are about a centimeter in size, covered with thin hairs of a reddish hue that emit drops that resemble dew (hence the name). Is it worth explaining that it is this liquid that the sundew uses as bait? In the first warm months, various bugs that accidentally find themselves in the predator's zone of action become the subject of hunting. Further, the hunt is more targeted. In July, the flowering season begins, and pollinating insects become victims. Five-petalled flowers are quite beautiful, and look like bright clouds above the surface of the swamp.
Despite the lethal effect produced on insects, this plant serves a person and is very useful for the treatment of bronchitis, asthma, atherosclerosis, and even helps to alleviate suffering from epileptic attacks.
Predators in the house
The beneficial qualities that plants that feed on the juices of insects killed by them can boast of have found recognition among people. Houseplants-predators have long been welcome inhabitants of residential and office space. Advantages, such as unpretentiousness, peculiar beauty and the ability to exterminate inappropriate living creatures, motivate the choice in their favor when deciding which flowerpot to put on the windowsill. The eternal scourge of all offices, offices, and sometimes houses or apartments is the concern about who will water the flowers. In the case of predatory representatives of the flora, it is not particularly necessary to worry, they can take care of themselves for quite a long time.
Catches flies and mosquitoes
To get rid of flies and mosquitoes, or at least reduce their number, people are helped along with sticky paper or insecticides by predator plants. The Venus flytrap is scientifically called Dionea (Dionaea muscipula). Her homeland is the savannah of North America. Its dimensions allow you to place vases and pots even in tight spaces. The flower is beautiful, white, with a pleasant aroma. The two valves look friendly and hospitable, only small teeth along their edge can suggest an ominous prospect for a fly that decides to sit at least on the edge of this shell. Dionea receives an inaudible signal from one of the three hairs placed in each trap - the valves close. The main phase of the movement of the petals is swift and takes only one tenth of a second, which gives reason to consider the flycatcher more like a flyswatter. However, if the insect is small, it can still escape by making its way through the still existing cracks. In this case, the retention process stops, as does the entire digestive cycle, and after about a day, the entire fly-catching system returns to its original combat position. But this doesn't happen often. Sometimes it happens that two or three insects fall into the trap at the same time.
plant care
So, the choice is made. The owner of the premises is a rather busy person, perhaps often goes on business trips, and capricious flowers do not suit him. Only cacti or predator plants meet all its requirements. A photo seen in a magazine, or an example of the successful coexistence of such flowers with familiar people, confirms the choice in favor of a flycatcher or a sundew. The treasured pot was bought and placed on the windowsill. What to do next?
Nothing at first. It is necessary to let the plant get used to the new place and release a couple of new leaves. If the house is perfectly clean, and there is no one to eat a flower, you will have to feed it from time to time, and insects should be given alive, because it is their natural stirring that activates the entire nutritional process. For the same reason, it is not necessary to feed a carnivorous plant with human food like pieces of sausage or cheese. Such a diet will cause extremely backfire, from a nasty stench to the complete death of a flower.
Insects are different, among them not everyone is ready to accept the role of a helpless victim. Other beetles are quite capable of literally gnawing out their right to life by making a hole in the trap with their jaws. You should not experiment with especially thick-shelled insects, as well as with too large ones. Not everything that is bigger is tastier, and the size of the victims should allow them to fit freely in the trap, and it is better if they are half the size of it. It is not recommended to overfeed carnivorous plants, one should be aware of the harsh conditions in which they are accustomed to survive. A normal “portion” of a flycatcher is up to three flies (and not a day, but for the whole summer). Sarracenia's appetite is less modest, but even it does not exceed a dozen individuals.
In addition, traps have a limited “motor resource”, for example, “shell” veneers are designed for no more than four meals, after which they die. If you load them all at the same time, soon the plant will simply have nothing to eat.
A special warning to fishing enthusiasts who believe that their passion guarantees the constant availability of suitable food. Bloodworms, earthworms or hairy worms and other bait are good for fish, but plant digestion is not designed for all this abundance.
Any excessive nutrition is harmful to predatory flowers in the same way as to people, it leads to decay. In winter, they do not need to be fed at all. So, the complete diet.
Carnivorous plants have many times become the prototypes of fantastic monsters that live in distant worlds. People like everything mysterious, they find a special charm in the predatory beauty characteristic of these wild and domestic flowers. And in addition to such a useful quality as the ability to exterminate annoying insects, flycatchers or sundews have another important advantage. They are simply beautiful.