Carnivorous Plants

If you want to add a unique touch to your garden, carnivorous plants are bound to get attention. There are several interesting exotic species to consider, such as the ever popular Venus Flytrap or the Cobra plant. Both these plants consume insects and can be of benefit to any garden in that way and in addition, they are a great conversational piece. The size of the plant you select will determine the amount of insects consumed, however, the entertainment they provide for both adults and children alike, is well worth the investment.

Basically there are five different types of carnivorous plants for you to consider. The most common type, is the Venus Flytrap found in cultivated varieties of the Dionaea muscipula family. The carnivorous Venus flytrap plant can snap its clamshell leaves around an insect in less than a second.

When a fly or insect walks on the surface, this activates a hair trigger and causes closure, as the traps closes it fills with an enzyme solution, and then it will dissolve the proteins from the insect. These traps rely on prey falling into the plant and them being unable to escape.

These plants range from colorful to bland, and do not have moving parts like their snap trap counterparts.

Flypaper traps are among some of the coolest carnivorous plants. These plants secrete a glue which traps and breaks down insects for nourishment. These carnivorous plants should be treated with caution in the home, as the secretions can cause agitation to the skin.

Bladder traps plants are a fascinating subset of carnivorous plants. Numerous, tiny glands inside the bladder absorb most of the internal water and expel it on the outside, and as a result, a partial vacuum is produced inside the bladder and the pressure on the outside becomes greater than the inside. This causes the walls to squeeze inward and explains their slightly concave appearance. Bladderworts are more commonly found underwater than above ground, which is another distinct characteristic from other carnivorous plants.

Another favorite carnivorous plant are the lobster-pot traps, and they come with a chamber that is easy to enter, and whose exit is either difficult to find or obstructed by inward-pointing bristles.

Corkscrew plants are interesting, in that, the inside of the plant mouth is filled with downward pointing obstructions, used to prevent it’s prey from escaping it’s grasp.

If you do not wish to have a true carnivorous plant in your garden, but would like something with similar characteristics, there are several related species you may want to consider. Some of these type of plants come from the Martyniaceae family, such as the Brocchinia Roridula. These plants lack one of the three required aspects, which is to attract, kill and digest prey, to be classified as a true carnivorous plant.

Carnivorous plants should be placed where young children and babies cannot reach them. While most of them are relatively harmless to humans, digestion of these plants should be avoided, due to the digestive enzymes that the plant utilizes to break down prey.