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Carnivorous Plants
Beautiful, Strange and Truly WondrousNepenthes hamata
Carnivorous Plants
• Adapted for nutrient-poor soils, wet climates, bright light
• Like all green plants, photosynthesize (I.e. they’re producers)
• Utilize excess sugars from photosynthesis (which only requires sunlight, water, and CO2) as bait
• Attract and absorb macronutrients P-K-N (e.g. fertilizer) from prey
• Hence, the adaptation of carnivory turns plentiful sunlight and water into essential nutrients that allow the plants to compete in impoverished soils
Classic examples of ecological resource trading
Carnivorous Plants
• Soil with low mineral content (usually acidic)
• Plenty of pure water (no salts, dissolved solids, metals, etc.)
• Lots of sunlight• Little competition
from alien species• Prey (mostly for
flowering and fruiting)
• As can be expected from this list, most are extremely endangered:– Development of the
coastal swamps of the Southeast USA
– Deforestation of SE Asia
– Pollution of wetlands– Imported competition
(Purple Loosestrife)
As a result, almost all species have similar needs
Genera of Carnivorous Plants
Active traps(“steel trap” and
“trap door”)• Aldrovanda
• Dionaea
• Utricularia
Other/passive(Minnow traps)
• Genlisea
Sticky traps(flypaper)
• Byblis
• Drosera
• Drosophyllum
• Pinguicula
Pitfall traps(pitchers)
• Darlingtonia
• Cephalotus
• Heliamphora
• Nepenthes
• Sarracenia
Over 550 Species; three basic trapping mechanisms
Venus FlytrapDionaea muscipulaActiv
e traps
Venus FlytrapDionaea muscipula
Flowers and seeds
Trigger hairs
Drosera – The Sundews
Sticky tr
aps
D.citrinaD.dichro-
sepalaD.echino-
blastaD.ericksoniae D.mannii
D.microscapa
D.occidentalis
D.oreo-podeon
D.paleacea paleacea
D.pulchella (pink)
D.ericks. x pulchella
D.silvicola D.spilos D.sp.Warriup D.stelliflora
Drosera multifida
Drosera capensis
Drosera capensis in action!!!
Sticky traps
+
Leaf blade movement to aid digestion
Tuberous SundewDrosera peltata
Other stickies: Byblis liniflora
The Rainbow Plant
Sticky tr
aps
Other stickies: Pinguicula
The Butterworts Sticky tr
aps
Sarracenia - North American Pitcher Plants
S.purpurea
Pitfall t
raps
Sarracenia flava
Sarracenia leucophylla and Sarracenia psittacina
Flytrap and Sarracenia Care
• High light levels (full sun is usually best)
• Never allow to dry out• Use pure water with
few dissolved solids or salts (deionized/distilled/ reverse osmosis/rainwater)
• No fertilizer!
• Use peat moss based medium (mix w/ lime-free sand or perlite)
• All are native to the USA (Flytraps from North Carolina)…
• …and require a dormancy period
Drosera Care• Temperate
– Similar to Dionaea and Sarracenia needs
– But may tolerate dilute fertilizer: ¼ strength Mir-acid
– And lower light levels
• Pygmy– Dormancy required– May reproduce
asexually by gemmae
• Tuberous– Need dormancy
generally in the summer in USA
– Can tolerate direct sun
– Some seeds actually need to be exposed to fire to germinate.
Nepenthes - “Monkey Cup” Tropical Vine Pitcher Plant
N.lowii
N.burbidgeae
Pitfall t
raps
• Pitcher size from 1” to more than 2 liters
• Leaves up to 1 meter length
• Some scramble, some climb many meters
• Rats and baby monkeys have been found in pitchers
Nepenthes - “Monkey Cup” Tropical Vine Pitcher Plant
• Over 100 species distributed in SE Asia
• Found from sea level to 2000+ m elevation
Credit: Malesiana Tropicals
Nepenthes Care
• More tolerant of minerals in the water and drought
• Separated into “Lowland” (<1000m) and “Highland” (>1000m) species
• Lowlands expect 20+°C and high humidity at all times (~ terrarium)
• Highland species expect (and often need) a cool night and open, less damp medium (sphagnum)
• Some highlands even grow as epiphytes.
• No dormancy• Propagated from
cuttings, tissue culture, and sometimes seed
Nepenthes ampullaria“”detritivore”
Low
land
spe
cies
Large lowland species: span 2m, vines 8+m
Symbiotic with ant species
Nepenthes bicalcarata
Nepenthes albomarginata (blue spotted form)
Highland species
Lowland species
Specialized to eat termites
Nepenthes campanulata
Lowland species
Nepenthes gracilis
Nepenthes truncata
Lowland species
Highland species
Nepenthes aristolochioides
Highland species
Nepenthes macrophylla
Highland species
Cephalotus follicularisAlbany Pitcher Plant
Pitfal
l tra
ps
Darlingtonia californicaCobra Lily
Pitfall t
raps
South American Pitcher PlantHeliamphora heterodoxa
Pitfall t
raps
Carnivorous Plant Societies
• International Carnivorous Plant Society– www.carnivorousplants.org
• New England Carnivorous Plant Society– Roger Williams Park, Providence, RI– www.necps.org
N.bicalcarata
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