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 the flower that eats flies, and for some reason the bulk of them are afraid of it, considering it almost a monster. Meanwhile, predatory plants are simply living organisms, put by nature in such conditions that they had to survive in a non-standard way. Rather, they deserve respect for their vitality and persistence in evolution. Strictly speaking, flowers that eat flies are on the same level, for example, with tigers, who are also by no means vegetarians. Besides, most of the plant predators are amazingly beautiful.
Why did predatory plants appear?
To become, I 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 would be able to catch, hold and digest an insect. To maintain the performance of this complex system the flower that eats flies spends great amount forces. Scientists believe that carnivorousness 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 hunting organs. Such circumstances are soils poor in phosphorus and nitrogen. Simply put - swamps. It is not for nothing that all come from such localities. Loss " solar panels"In this case, it is quite understandable: the plants do not shade, and they have enough of the light that they get scanty leaves.
Vulnerability of predatory plants
The life of a flower that eats flies is not so simple in itself. An insect, not very well and tightly seized, is quite capable of breaking out of 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 accumulated for millennia that can destroy flowers that eat flies. Washed away 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 stimulates adventurers to look for wild Venus flytrap 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 grips
In the vastness of our homeland, almost everyone knows only one flower that eats flies. It bears the name "sundew". It is amazing beautiful plant pubescent with fine hairs that end in droplets of sticky secretions. Insects mistake them for water; an additional stimulus to their approach is the scent of a sundew. When the midge adheres securely, the leaf begins to slowly curl up. Already in a collapsed state, it digests its prey.
How does zhiryanka hunt?
Another flower that eats flies and is found in the Russian open spaces is Zhiryanka. It got a not very euphonious name for the mucus, which the leaves are covered with. Thanks to her, the surface shines, as if greased. The mechanism of beckoning insects is by smell, the method of consumption is similar to how the sundew assimilates the victim. Only the leaf does not fold: it is all 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 way of hunting that this flower, which eats flies, is a tasty prey for a poacher. No other carnivorous plant closes the trap, and moreover so effectively. Considering that the leaves are equipped with denticles along the edge, the hunt looks as if a trap has slammed or wolf teeth snapped. Again, the digestion process is hidden, in contrast to the same fatty, so that nervous observers are spared from observing the insect's "torment" and the need to sympathize with it. All these features have made the flycatcher a desirable pet for many indoor crop lovers. There are a very large number of those who want to boast that they have a flower on their windowsill that eats flies. The price stops some, but it cannot be said that it is too excessive. On average, in specialized stores for Venus flytrap they ask for 600 rubles; however, small copies can be bought for three times cheaper.
By the way, not only dionea can be purchased from predatory plants. Nepentes, sarracenia, sundews, and other carnivorous flowers are on sale - in the same price range.
Why is this plant created exactly like this, and why does it need predatory habits? Is it possible to grow a carnivorous flower at home, and does it harm a person?
The plant that eats flies and other insects changed its diet during evolution for a reason. This allowed him to survive in difficult conditions. The natural habitat of such plants is areas with soils poor in nitrogen and other nutrients. Mostly sands and peat. Animal protein makes it possible to compensate for the lack of nutrients, and predatory plants have learned to assimilate it.
To transform into insectivores, these flowers have grown additional glands and organs that process prey. But it's not enough to lure a victim, so carnivorous plants have a specific appearance and aroma that attracts insects. Some species have completely abandoned photosynthesis for such nutrition.
But basically, carnivorousness is an addition to the main type of nutrition of green "hunters" - autotrophic, that is, the synthesis of organic substances from inorganic ones.
These plants are perennials, they were first studied in the nineteenth century, and one of major works in this area is considered the study of Charles Darwin.
Types of carnivorous plants
The researchers found that predatory plants evolved from five species of flowering plants. About two dozen species are known that are found on all inhabited continents up to the Arctic. In the vastness of the CIS, you can find about one and a half dozen of them.
Most of the plants that eat flies do not differ in stature - these are herbaceous representatives of the flora. But shrubs are also known, for example, Biblis Giant.
In the food of the Bible, not only insects go, but also larger animals - frogs and even birds. The natural habitat of the predatory shrub is Australia, but gardeners around the world are striving to get this natural wonder in their greenhouses. Another large carnivorous plant is known in the Pyrenees - Rosolist. It is classified as a semi-shrub, and in height this inhabitant of stony soils reaches 40 centimeters.
The most common, in addition to those listed, predatory plants are:
- Aldrovanda Bubble;
- Venus flytrap.
- Genlisey;
- Darlingtonia;
- Sarracenia.
Some of them are of several types.
What types are common in Russia
On Russian territory, the following insectivorous plants grow in non-domesticated form:
Rosyanka - this genus is represented by two species: round-leaved and long-leaved Rosyanka. They live in swampy places on peat soils.
The stem of the plant is tuberous thickened, the leaves are rounded or oblong, collected in a rosette. The edges and outer surface of the leaves are provided with mucus-secreting hairs to capture food.
Pemphigus, represented by four types. It is found almost everywhere - near swamps, in ditches, in shallow lakes and ponds.
The pemphigus has no roots, on the leafless stem there are trap bubbles in the form of yellow small flowers.
This plant is completely devoid of roots, floats freely on the water surface.
Filiform, often located small leaves equipped with a wedge-shaped petiole. There are villi on the petiole, which, when irritated by insects, cause the leaves to collapse.
This flower that eats flies and insects, unlike its predatory counterparts, has roots. The leaves are arranged in the form of a root rosette, covered with a sugary mucous grease.
When the insect gets bogged down in mucus, the leaf slowly curls up. Arrows with a flower are issued from a deciduous rosette. The color of the flowers is varied - from purple to white.
Predatory plants, despite their prevalence in nature, use in great demand among flower lovers.
For the most part, carnivorous plants have an underdeveloped root system, which has partially atrophied as unnecessary. And their leaves do not have a large surface. But every plant that eats insects has a developed specific organ - a trap.
All insectivorous flowers are conventionally divided into two main groups according to the method of catching insects: actively and passively catching. In active fishermen, the organs of catching come into noticeable movement. These include the sundew. Passive fishermen, on the other hand, hunt using traps (for example, pemphigus or sarracenia) or sticky and mucous secretions (oily or rosolist).
Traps, however, can be different in terms of the mechanism of "work":
- pitcher-shaped leaves;
- leaves snapping shut like a trap;
- sticky mucus traps;
- traps sucking their prey;
- crab claw trap.
The methods of catching insects are different. Each family has its own type of trap. Food is digested with the help of special enzymes, saturating all organs of the green "hunter" with substances necessary for existence.
Home content
Although the flowers that eat flies, in nature, are accustomed to be content with little, they are quite demanding for home conditions.
Most of them require rainwater or specially prepared water for irrigation that does not contain minerals, the acidic environment of which is close to neutral - pH 6.5. The usual tap water is not suitable for irrigation - it contains special mineral salts.
Predatory flowers are sensitive to them, since in nature they are deprived of such "feeding", and an excess of minerals can cause their death. At the same time, plants are demanding on moisture, because, often, they live in swamps. However, the sundew in the summer needs a dormant period (no watering), and the dewdrop practically does not need watering.
V natural conditions Plants provide themselves with food, but in domestic conditions they will have to be “fed” by hand, feeding flies.
Lack of food in this case is easier to tolerate than excess; from the latter, the plant rots and dies. Most carnivorous flowers need good lighting.
Many flycatcher plants grow in cold regions and can be successfully cultivated outdoors. So, for example, sarracenia even endures subzero temperatures, as well as fatty woman with sundew. However, their flowering may slow down.
Despite its vitality and endurance, a flower that eats flies is itself very vulnerable to pests. And he has a lot of enemies - aphids, worms, but the most dangerous is gray mold, often affecting in conditions of increased moisture and heat. Insecticides help fight insect pests, and only creation helps to fight mold optimal conditions: adequate ventilation and cool in winter period, periodic cleaning of plaque and pruning of affected leaves.
Conclusion
A predator flower can become a full-fledged tenant on your windowsill. Despite the exotic origin, the new pet will delight you with unpretentiousness, and will thank you with a good hunt for annoying insects.
There are many strange plants in the world, but the strangest, perhaps, are the predatory plants. Most of them feed on arthropods and insects, but there are some who do not refuse a piece of meat. They, like animals, secrete a special juice that helps 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 you further.
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 shaped like a jug with a deep funnel and a small hood over the hole. This scion protects the funnel from rainwater, which can dilute the digestive juices inside. It contains various enzymes, including protease. On the edge of the bright red water lily, juice is released, which smells like nectar. This is how the trap plant attracts insects. Sitting on its slippery edges, they do not hold, 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 the species, use one of five methods of catching prey: a flower in the shape of a jug, leaves closing like a trap, sucking traps, sticky traps, a trap in the form of a crab claw.
Nepenthes
Tropical plant that feeds on insects. It grows in the form of a liana, growing up to 15 meters in length. Leaves are formed on the liana, at the ends of which one antenna grows. At the end of the tendril, over time, a jug-shaped flower forms, which is used as a trap. By the way, this natural bowl collects water, which in natural environment monkeys drink habitat. 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 at the bottom of the bowl, where special glands are located for absorption and redistribution. nutrients.
Did you know? The famous naturalist Karl Linnaeus, who created the system of classification of wildlife in the 18th century, which we still use today, refused to believe that this was possible. After all, if the Venus flytrap really eats insects, it violates the order of nature instituted by God. Linnaeus believed that plants catch insects by accident, and if the unfortunate insect stops twitching, it will be released.Plants that feed on animals give us an inexplicable anxiety. Probably, the fact is that this 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 Sumatra, Borneo, India, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China. Most of the plants form small trap pitchers and feed only on insects. But species such as Nepenthes Rajah and Nepenthes Rafflesiana are not squeamish about small mammals. This carnivorous flower is quite successful in digesting mice, hamsters and small rats.
Carnivorous plant genlisea (Genlisea)
This delicate, at first glance, grass grows mainly in the southern and Central America as well as in Africa, Brazil and Madagascar. The leaves of many plant species, of which there are more than 20, secrete a thick gel to attract and retain 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 fermented liquid. They are covered from the inside with villi directed downward from the exit, which does not allow the victim to get out. The tubes also act as the roots of the plant. Above, the plant has neat photosynthetic leaves, as well as a flower on a leg about 20 cm. The flower, depending on the species, can have a different color, but mostly yellow shades prevail. Although genlisea belongs to insectivorous plants, it feeds mainly on microorganisms.
Californian Darlingtonia (Darlingtonia Californica)
Only one plant is attributed to the genus Darlingtonia - Californian 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 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. Inside it, villi grow towards the digestive organs. Thus, an insect that has got inside has only one way - into the depths of the plant. It can no longer return to the surface. 
Pemphigus (Utricularia)
The genus of these plants, which includes 220 species, got its name from the huge number of bubbles from 0.2 mm to 1.2 cm, which are used as a trap. The bubbles contain 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 is fed by both tadpoles and water fleas, and the simplest unicellular organisms. The plant has no roots, since it lives in water. Above the water, it releases a peduncle with a small flower. It is considered the world's fastest predatory plant. Grows in moist soil or water everywhere except Antarctica. 
Chiryanka (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, North and South America.
Important! Today, the popularity of carnivorous house plants has increased so much that botanists keep secret the places where such plants were discovered. Otherwise, they are immediately ruined by poachers who are engaged in illegal hunting and trade in insectivorous plants.
The surface of the leaves of zhiryanka 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 to produce special enzymes for digestion: esterase, protease, amylase. Among the 73 plant species, there are some that are active all year round... And there are those who “fall asleep” for the winter, forming a dense non-carnivorous outlet. When the temperature rises environment the plant produces carnivorous leaves. 
Rosyanka (Drosera)
One of the most beautiful domestic predator plants. In addition, it is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants. It includes no less than 194 species that can be found almost anywhere in 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 there are droplets of sticky secretions. The insects attracted by them sit on them, stick, and the rosette begins to roll up, covering the victims in the trap. The glands located on the leaf surface secrete digestive juices and absorb nutrients.
Byblis
Biblis, despite its carnivorousness, is also called the rainbow plant. Originally from Northern and Western Australia, it is also found in New Guinea on marshy wet soils. It grows as a small shrub, but sometimes it can reach 70 cm in height. Gives beautiful flowers purple shades, but there are also pure white petals. There are five curved stamens inside the inflorescence. But the trap for insects are leaves with a round cross-section, covered with glandular hairs. Like the sundew, they have a slimy sticky substance at the ends to lure victims. Likewise, there are two types of glands on the leaves: which secrete bait and which digest food. But, unlike sundew, biblis does not release enzymes for this process. Botanists are still debating and researching the digestion of food by plants. 
Aldrovanda vesiculosa
When amateur flower growers are interested in the name of a flower that eats insects, they rarely learn about bladder aldrovand. The fact is that the plant lives in water, has no roots, and therefore is little used in home breeding. It feeds mainly on crustaceans and small aquatic larvae. 
As traps, it uses filamentous leaves up to 3 mm in length, which grow in 5-9 pieces around 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 shell-shaped bivalve plate 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 11 cm. Aldrovanda grows quickly, adding in growth up to 9 mm per day, forming a new curl every day. However, as it grows at one end, the plant dies at the other. The plant produces single small white flowers.
Hello! Do you know a plant that eats flies? 🙂 Today I decided to step aside a little from the financial topic, from making money on the Internet and write generally on the left topic. All the same, food for the mind should be varied!
A plant that eats flies and what is it called ?!
In fact, there are quite a few such herbs, but I have only heard of two. This is Venerina Flycatcher and Rosyanka! Of course, they are classified as predators. Yes, from various films I saw how they eat not only midges, but even humans. But this is necessary for the flower to be large or even gigantic in size.
Venus flytrap
Usually this flower grows in peat bogs. But if you wish, you can plant it at home in ordinary soil covered with moss! By the way, they sell the seeds of these flowers. If you wish, you can order them through some online store!
Oddly enough, this plant is listed in the Red Book. He has another name is Dionea. Fortunately, they grow no more than 15 centimeters in height! Caught flies, slugs and other insects, it digests them within 5 - 10 days! And then he starts his hunt again!
Look interesting video about itpredator
Fly Eater - Rosyanka
So, the next flower devouring flies is the Rosyanka!
Like the previous flower, it is a predator and is able to eat flies without any pity! Rosyanka is distributed almost all over the world. In England it was called solar dew. In general, she received such a name, because on her hairs there are drops in the form of dew. These droplets also attract flies and other insects.
On this moment many collect similar flowers from all over the world and collect them. I probably would have bought a similar flower. But that will be later in the future! 🙂
It is used even in folk medicine, for example, from such diseases as bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis, some colds and inflammatory diseases.
Well, now a short video about this plant!
Thus, you just learned about the plant that eats flies! That's all! Good luck!
Collegiate YouTube
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✪ PLANTS that EAT ANIMALS !!!
✪ Plants-predators
✪ Plants are predators
✪ predatory plants. Venus flytrap
✪ Plants-predators. Carnivorous flowers
Subtitles
Most plants get their food from the soil they grow on. But what about plants living in nutrient-deficient areas? Evolution solved this problem and presented the world with the most amazing creatures - plants that turned their stems and leaves into deadly traps. They learned to dissolve and assimilate the bodies of their victims, and most importantly, they 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. Carnivorous plants can eat 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", the prey of which are mainly insects; "Aquatic" - fishing for micro-crustaceans; and the “eat whoever I catch” group — plants with traps large enough to trap small animals. After a successful hunt, the caught game is digested with a kind of "gastric juice", which 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, the process of catching insects which can be seen with the naked eye, is a plant-cell - Venus flytrap. Its leaves look like the mouth of an unknown monster. Each mouth is dotted with spines-fangs, which act as lattices in the cage, when the leaf collapses, the prey can no longer get out of it. In the event that a leaf slams open 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 middle lane Russia, growing in swampy areas, in places poor in useful minerals - the so-called "acidic soils". V summer time blooming sundew can be recognized by the small white flowers growing on a long peduncle stem. The sundew itself, a rather inconspicuous marsh insectivorous grass with leaves on the ground, strewn with hairs. The fluid secreted by the hairs is very similar to dew, but in reality it is a glue that is deadly to insects and 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 prisoner of the last chance of salvation. The remains, which the sundew did not digest, fall to the ground, after which the leaves take their usual form, the hairs become covered with beads of sticky "dew" and a new hunt begins. Some particularly large species of sundew can even catch unwary frogs and small birds. Science knows about 130 varieties of this plant. In conditions similar to the habitat of the sundew, one can meet another "green predator" - the zhiryanka. 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. By the principle of hunting and feeding, zhiryanka strongly resembles a sundew. Insects, attracted by the smell of "fat", stick to the leaf, which curls inward, and digestive secretions break down the prey. The obtained minerals and amino acids are absorbed by the plant, then the leaf unfolds and waits for the next portion of "guests". Darlingtonia also loves swampy areas, but outwardly resembles a cobra, ready to throw. It is for its jugs, shaped like a snake's hood, that Darlingtonia got the nickname "Cobra plant". This is a truly insidious plant: it not only lures insects with a sweet aroma into its jug, but also has numerous false "exits" on its walls, directed downward and not allowing the victim to get out. But pemphigus is a predator plant whose habitat is stagnant water. Pemphigus is devoid of the roots familiar to plants, which is why it preys on insects and small crustaceans. Fishing "bubbles" are under water together with leaves, only its flowers float on the surface. The “bubbles” have a kind of “entrance” that opens as soon as an insect is near. The signal to open the “bubble” comes from the hair-probes located near the “entrance”. When the insect catches the hair, the "bubble" opens and draws the prey inside together with water. Then the digestion of food begins. The habitat of another carnivorous plant called NePentes or Jug-pitcher is rainforest. It grows mainly like a liana, but shrubs are also found among the 80 varieties of this plant. It got its name "pitcher" for the special shape of the leaves, reminiscent of a jug, which helps it collect rainwater. These "jugs" are also large enough to contain frogs, rodents and small birds. However, insects remain the main prey of nepentes. On the inside of the walls of the pitcher there are glands that produce nectar and wax. The nectar lures the prey, and the smooth wax does not allow it to get out and the insect, falling into the water at the bottom of the jug, drowns. The next carnivorous plant is the handsome Beeblis. The habitat of this low shrub is Northern Australia and southern New Guinea, as well as small areas in Western Australia. The branches of the biblis are dotted with narrow, long leaves, on the surface of which there are bristles and glands that secrete a strong sticky substance and a digestive enzyme. Both insects and small animals fall into this trap. Australian aborigines once believed that the biblis was even capable of catching and digesting a person. 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 Sarracene family. Sarracenia has bright flowers and bright green leaves dotted with crimson capillary lines. Its leaves resemble envelopes exuding sweet juice. Having fallen into such a trap, the insect is doomed. And the scenario with digestion and assimilation is still the same. And although the process of hunting a sarracenia is not as spectacular as, for example, hunting a Venus flycatcher, it is nevertheless quite interesting to observe a flower. Today, these wonderful plants can be purchased in many flower shops, including online. The buyer is given a very wide choice. So, if you have a desire to decorate your home and at the same time cleanse it of annoying insects, these “green predators” can help you with this.
Historical background and study
Insectivorous plants became known in the 18th century. The very first accurate botanical description venus flytrap ( Dionaea muscipula) was made by the English naturalist John Ellis in a letter to Karl Linnaeus in 1769. In the letter, Ellis first suggested that the captured insects serve as food for plants.
V 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 Nepentes ( Nepenthes) .
Soon there were works devoted to a deep study of the characteristics of such plants. In 1861, Auger de Lassus described the sensitivity to touch and movement of 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 stage in the study of insectivorous plants was research Charles Darwin, begun by observing sundews in 1860. At the same time, Darwin set up a number of laboratory experiments that grew into research. He studied the "flavors" of plants and made 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 has absorbed many unique observations and bold, but reasonable conclusions.
This work so captivated Darwin that in a letter to Lyell he wrote:
Darwin 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 extensive additions by his son, came out after Darwin's death, in 1888.
Charles Darwin's work was a watershed in the study of insectivorous plants. As K. Goebel writes (1893),
<…>hardly any other department of botany in modern times attracted the attention of wider circles than the so-called insectivorous plants. The reason for this was especially the extensive work of Darwin, which gave impetus to the emergence of numerous other works.
However, this work did not immediately find recognition among scientists of its time and was severely criticized, in most cases because of their fundamental differences with the new evolutionary theory of Darwin. The director of the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden, E. Regel (1879), expressed the opinion that Darwin's assertion about the existence of insectivorous plants in nature is one of the theories
which every sane botanist and natural scientist would simply laugh at if it did not come from the famous Darwin. We hope that the cold mind (der kuhle Verstand) and the solid observation of our German researchers will soon throw this theory, like the theories of primordial origin, parthenogenesis, alternation of generations, etc., into the box of scientific junk, which the former followers of such theories themselves are the least of all. want to ever open.
However, until now, Darwin's fundamental work is the largest contribution to the study of insectivorous plants.
Evolution
Template: Biophoto Data on the evolution of insectivorous plants are extremely scarce due to the small number of fossil remains of the latter. Fossils, most of which are seeds or pollen, have not been found enough. Most insectivores, being herbaceous plants, are devoid of dense structures such as bark or wood, and the trapping formations themselves probably did not survive in the form of fossils.
Botanical description
Insectivores are mainly perennial herbaceous plants, but dwarf shrubs and small shrubs are also found.
The largest known insectivorous plant is biblis giant ( Byblis gigantea), a small (up to half a meter) shrub from the Biblisse family that grows in Australia. It includes not only insects, but also snails and even frogs and lizards. Nepentes are tropical lianas with a lignified stem, grow up to 4 m in length (winged Nepentes). There are species of nepentes that attract small mammals with nectar and use their excrement as fertilizer.
They live mainly in swampy meadows and marshes, in the water of fresh 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 flypaper, hanging it inside their homes.
Animals are used as an additional source of phosphorus, potassium and other elements. Insects are caught using modified leaves - trapping organs. Attract insects with 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 (sundew, flycatcher);
- passively catching;
- with mucous and sticky secretions on the leaves, catching insects (dewdrop, zhiryanka);
- with traps - jugs, bubbles and the like (pemphigus, nepentes, genlicia, sarracenia).
Types of traps
Plants use five main types of prey traps:
- trapping leaves in the form of jugs;
- leaves that close in the form of traps;
- sticky traps;
- suction traps;
- trap of the crab claw type.
The type of trap does not depend on the plant belonging to a particular family.
Loss of predation
Template: Biophoto Many plant species can be classified as proto-insectivorous or para-insectivorous. Plants are called proton insectivores that can extract the nutrients they need from insects adhering to their surface; however, unlike insectivorous plants, they are devoid of special trapping devices and do not have an attractive odor and secretory glands. Proton insectivorous is common for plants with glandular pubescence (ibicella yellow, some types of cinquefoil, geraniums) and sticky stems (tar). Paranectivorous 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 Nepentes jug ( 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 Nepentes Lowe ( Nepenthes lowii). Preliminary studies have shown that this species has presumably adapted to "catching" bird droppings that feed on its nectar and sweet secretions. Nepentes Attenborough ( Nepenthes attenboroughii), native to the Philippines, synthesizes sweet nectar on the lid of a jug. Small animals like tupai love to feast on this nectar, which use these jugs as a toilet. The insectivorous plant receives nitrogen and phosphorus from animal feces - 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 habitats.
Cultivation
Pattern: Biophoto Although different kinds carnivorous plants are differently demanding on lighting, air humidity and soil, they have 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).
Plain 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 soils that are poor in nutrients and are therefore extremely sensitive to excess calcium and excess nutrients. Since most of these plants grow in wetlands, almost all of them are moisture-loving and drought-resistant. Although there are exceptions, for example: tuber sundews, which need a dry (summer) dormant period, and Lusitanian dewdrop ( Drosophyllum lusitanicum) growing in dry conditions.
"Feeding"
Plants grown in the open air 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 usually unable to digest large quantities food that 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 growth may be stunted. In general, these plants are best left to their fate. After watering with tap water, the most common cause of death of the Venus flycatcher is 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 their best under these conditions, as this encourages them to synthesize red and purple pigments called anthocyanins. For Nepenthes and Pinguicula better conditions will be absolute UV, but direct sunlight is acceptable for most other species.
Humidity
Predatory plants mainly grow in swamps, and therefore require high humidity air. On a small scale, this can be achieved by placing the plant pot on a wide tray of pebbles that are constantly moistened. Small Nepentes species grow well in large terrariums.
Temperature
Many carnivorous plants come from cold, temperate regions and can be grown outdoors, in swamps, or in gardens all year round. Majority Sarracenia can tolerate temperatures below freezing, although most species are native to the southeastern United States. Views Drosera and Pinguicula can also tolerate low temperatures. Nepenthes are tropical species requiring a temperature rise of +20 to +30 ° C for flowering. Template: Biophoto Many of the bred sarracenia hybrids are very unpretentious, in particular, they are rather undemanding to the content of nutrients in the soil. Most appreciate the 3: 1 peat mix Sphagnum to the sand (coconut flakes are an acceptable and more environmentally friendly substitute for peat). Nepenthes orchids will grow in compost or clean sphagnum moss.
Pests
For beginner growers, we can recommend species originating from conditions of a moderately cool climate, in greenhouse conditions (at least 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 in the conditions humid air in winter.
The Venus flytrap can live in these conditions, but in fact it is rather difficult to grow: despite good care In winter, it is often exposed to gray mold infestation, even if well ventilated.
Some of the lowland nepentes ( 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, as 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