These amazing plants They are carnivorous because they catch insects and arthropods, secrete digestive juice, dissolve the prey, and in the process receive some or most of the nutrients. Almost all carnivorous plants grow in places where the soil is poor in nutrients.

Here are the most famous carnivorous plants who use different types traps to lure their prey.

1. Sarracenia

Sarracenia or North American insectivorous plant is a genus carnivorous plants, which are found in areas of the east coast of 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.

2. Nepenthes

Nepenthes, a tropical insectivorous plant, is another species of carnivorous plant with a trap that uses water lily-shaped trapping leaves. There are about 130 species of these plants, which are widely distributed in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Madagascar, Seychelles, Australia, India, Borneo and Sumatra. This plant has also earned the nickname "monkey cup" as researchers often observed monkeys drinking rainwater from them.

Most types of Nepenthes are tall vines, about 10-15 meters, with a shallow root system. Leaves are often visible from the stem, with a tendril that protrudes from the tip of the leaf and is often used for climbing. At the end of the tendril, the water lily forms a small vessel, which then expands to form a cup.

The trap contains a liquid secreted by the plant, which may have a watery or sticky texture, and in which the insects eaten by the plant drown. The bottom of the bowl contains glands that absorb and distribute nutrients. Most of the plants are small and only catch insects, but large species such as Nepenthes Rafflesiana and Nepenthes Rajah can catch small mammals such as rats.

3. Carnivorous plant Genlisea (Genlisea)

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 distinct types of 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.

4. Darlingtonia California (Darlingtonia Californica)

darlingtonia california is the only member of the genus Darlingtonia that grows in northern California and Oregon. It grows in swamps and cold springs. 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.

5. Pemphigus (Utricularia)

Bladderwort is a genus of carnivorous plants with 220 species. They are found in fresh water or moist soil as terrestrial 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 with respect to the surrounding stop. 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.

6. Zhiryanka (Pinguicula)

Oilwort 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 of the buttercup are succulent and usually have a bright green or pink color. There are two special types of cells found 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, which aid in 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.

7. Sundew (Drosera)

The sundew is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. Sundew can form basal or vertical rosettes from 1 cm to 1 m in height and can live up to 50 years.

Sundews are characterized by moving glandular tentacles topped with sweet, sticky secretions. When an insect lands on the sticky tentacles, the plant begins to move the rest of the tentacles in the direction of the victim in order to further drive it into a trap. Once the insect is trapped, small sessile glands absorb it and the nutrients go to plant growth.

8. Byblis

Byblis or rainbow plant it is a small species of carnivorous plant native to Australia. The rainbow plant got its name from attractive appearance slime that covers 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 round section, and most often they are elongated and tapered 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.

9. Aldrovanda vesiculosa (Aldrovanda vesiculosa)

Aldrovanda vesicularis 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 are directed outward and 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.

10. Venus flytrap (Dionaea Muscipula)

Venus flytrap, perhaps the best-known carnivorous plant that feeds mainly on insects and arachnids. It is a small plant with 4-7 leaves that grow from a short underground stem.

The leaf blade is divided into two regions: flat, long, heart-shaped petioles capable of photosynthesis and a pair of terminal lobes hanging from the main vein of the leaf, which form a trap. The inner surface of these lobes contains a red pigment, and the edges secrete mucus.

Dionaea muscipula vs Caterpillar

The leaf lobes make a snapping motion, slamming shut when its sensory hairs are stimulated. The plant is so developed that it can distinguish a living stimulus from a non-living stimulus. Its leaves slam shut in 0.1 second. They are lined with cilia that are as hard as spikes and hold their prey. As soon as the prey is caught, the inner surface of the leaves is gradually stimulated, and the edges of the lobes grow and merge, closing the trap and creating a closed stomach, where the prey is digested.

Carnivorous plants of Africa. Killer plants.

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 efficiency 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 a completely certain conditions, because some insectivorous flowers even lost the ability to photosynthesis 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. The loss of "solar panels" in this case 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.

Surely everyone has heard about the amazing "predator" plants that feed on various insects. Today there are about 630 of them in the world. various kinds. Insectivorous plants need this food, so they supplement their autotrophic nutrition.

To catch their "victims" carnivorous plants use different types traps, depending on their structure. These can be traps in the form of jugs, traps, sticky, sucking, as well as traps in the form of crab claws.

AT natural conditions their habitat is swampy soils, sands and water. But some of them can be planted at home in a pot, they will not only take root, but will also become your helpers in the fight against annoying flies. In addition, this is a very interesting activity - to watch a houseplant that catches and eats flies. flies appear, and also, from them in country house we have already discussed in detail. And all about ultrasonic repellers can be read

It is best to take root species that originated from places with a temperate-cool climate. In winter, they need a temperature of 5 ° C, and in summer - a maximum of +25 ° C.

Although this plant is very beautiful in appearance, it is dangerous for small winged pests: it catches them with the help of its leaves in the form of "jugs" with a lid, inside of which there is a digestive enzyme.

You can grow nepenthes "flycatchers" in home greenhouse or in a closed aquarium, constantly airing it.

The plant feels comfortable:

at 20 °C;
in good light conditions;
at regular top dressing mineral fertilizers;
in constantly moist soil. Nepentes should be watered only with soft purified water.

Venus flytrap (Dionea)

This unusual plant is especially popular with flower growers, it will also save your home from mosquitoes and flies.

The leaflet of the Venus flytrap looks like a clam shell - two halves-folds either open or close. Along the edges of the fleshy leaves are two rows of teeth and glands that produce fragrant nectar. It also attracts flies and mosquitoes.

Flies and midges also flock to the sweet aroma of nectar. Unfortunately, one sheet "works" only a few times. However, new ones quickly grow to replace them, if you create right conditions. Sometimes it indoor plant turns into normal ordinary leaves, eventually losing its "insectivorous" function.

Growing conditions:

low temperature conditions;
high levels of air and soil humidity;
soft water for irrigation;
a lot of light.

Venus flytrap can be grown in an aquarium, constantly carrying out the ventilation procedure. It is very interesting to watch her growth and vital activity.

Growing conditions:

peat soil;
in summer - in a lit place, but not in direct sun;
in winter - at temperatures not very high.

It is worth noting that in the cold season, the plant has a period of calm and tranquility, therefore, at this time it does not need to be watered and fertilized abundantly. Reproduction of Darlingtonia occurs in the spring - by seeds and division.

Rosyanka is a species perennial herbs with root base.

How to grow at home:

you need a spacious bright room;
constant circulation of fresh air;
in winter period the temperature should not exceed 10 degrees;
abundant watering with soft water.

Sarracenia also feeds on midges and flies, which fall into long tubular leaves-traps.

In our country about given plant little is known, mainly its habitat - Western Europe usually in the open field.

At home, he is planted in a pot of sphagnum. It is necessary to ensure that the drainage in it is correct, and the soil is loose.

Home conditions:

the temperature regime in the room should be slightly lower in winter;
frequent watering with purified water;
in the summer, it is best to put it in the garden or on the balcony (preferably in the shade).

This plant propagates by seeds and rhizomes.

Genlisea has two types of leaves: those that grow above the ground and those that are under it - it is they who catch and digest small insects.

Since ancient times, people have tried to decorate their homes with plants, choosing varieties with unusual leaves and bright flowers for this. There are many legends about carnivorous plants that lured into their traps and killed people, but scientists are skeptical, but there are more than 300 species of carnivorous insect-eating plants in the world.

At home, you can grow predators that are safe for humans: dionea (Venus flytrap), Nepenthes, Sarracenia, fine-leaved sundew and Cape sundew.

1. Venus flytrap has leaves of an unusual shape from two oval valves with teeth. They resemble a small trap, with its help the plant catches insects with incredible speed. As soon as the fly sits on the leaf, the trap instantly slams shut. The Venus flytrap blooms in May and June, with a dormant period in autumn. This plant loves straight Sun rays and high level humidity. It is also important to monitor nutrition, if the leaves have darkened and begun to fall off, then the flycatcher does not have enough plants. Within a month she needs 3-4 flies.

2. Nepenthes - This is a semi-shrub liana, often found in hanging planters. The plant in nature grows in a swamp, so it is important to ensure that the soil is always moist at home, Nepentes must be regularly sprayed and the required humidity level in the room maintained - at least 70%. This plant lures the victim with the help of small traps, on their edges alluring sweet nectar is released. The traps are large enough that not only insects can fall into them, but also small rodents, frogs and birds.

3. Sarracenia found in many private collections of plants. She does not like drafts and stagnant moisture in the ground, but even a novice florist can cope with her. Twisted leaves resembling water lilies grow from the root system of Sarracenia. They are the ones who catch the insects they are attracted to. rich aroma plants. On the walls of the water lilies there are hairs that do not allow the insect to move up the leaf - only down.

4. Sundew thin-leaved - one of the most popular types of carnivorous plants that are grown at home. The slender stems have small, shiny hairs with a strong scent and a sweet liquid that attract insects. As soon as the fly sits on the plant, the process of twisting the stem into a tube begins, the victim will no longer be able to get out. The thin-leaved sundew blooms in July and August; at home, it needs to provide a high level of humidity and prevent the soil from drying out.

5. Cape sundew - a beautiful plant with bright flowers. It is able to digest even cartilage and bones, only a chitinous cover remains from the victims. As soon as an insect lands on a sundew leaf, it immediately curls up and the digestive process begins. Interestingly, the plant reacts only to organic food, if a drop of water falls on the leaf, it will remain motionless.

There are quite a lot of such plants on Earth, the ways in which they catch their prey are different.

All these plants can be divided into three groups.

The first is active predators, they immediately capture their prey, as soon as it is within reach.

Most prominent representative this group is Venus flytrap. True, she catches flies less often than other insects, and most of all she loves black ants. The flycatcher is found in the temperate zone of North America only in the state of North Carolina in small swamps on sphagnum moss cushions, where it is always damp. The flycatcher is simply arranged. In the upper part of a thin stalk there are several large white flowers, and below, near the ground, a rosette of leaves. These leaves are used to catch insects. Along the edges of each of them are hard hairs-cilia - they act as rods in an animal cage. There are three such spines on each half of the leaf. As soon as an insect touches at least one of them, the leaf will instantly fold in half - it will slam shut. The insect is caught between the two halves of the leaf. But this happens only after the secondary touching of the spine. The first time the “trigger” of the leaf does not work out of precaution: suddenly a random object, a mote or a grain of sand brought by the wind, touched the spike.

When the sheet is slammed shut, the cilia edging it do not converge with each other quite tightly and form a lattice. If the insect is small, it is still able to squeeze through the cilia and leave the predatory plant.

Large prey, trying to free itself, will fight until it hits another spine. After that, the leaf trap closes tightly, and the leaf is filled with digestive juice.

Digestion lasts for several days, and when the trap opens, rain and wind will clear the leaf of undigested remains of the insect. After two or three caught insects, the leaf turns black and falls off, and a new one grows in its place, and everything repeats all over again.

flycatcher, like other insectivorous plants, does not feed exclusively on animal food. The slammed leaf is green on the outside. It faces the light and, together with the petiole, photosynthesizes.

A permanent inhabitant of our stagnant reservoirs - insectivorous pemphigus. These water flowering plants are engaged in catching small aquatic animals, they can capture their prey with the help of many trapping bubbles with a diameter of 0.3-0.5 mm, equipped with a small "door". Trapping vesicles of pemphigus are modified parts of the leaf blade of an underwater strongly dissected leaf. Above the surface of the water, pemphigus has ordinary green leaves.

A special threshold ensures absolute watertightness of the “door”. Scientists suggest that pemphigus can pump out half of the water and create a significant rarefaction inside the bubble using an electrochemical method.

If any of the small aquatic inhabitants - a mosquito larva or a small tadpole accidentally touches a hair on the “door”, resembling a push handle, then the “door” will instantly open inward, since the pressure inside is lower than outside. The insect is drawn in in 1/160 of a second, as if swallowed. Then the “door” closes, which takes 1/40 of a second, after which the pressure inside the bubble returns to its previous value. All this resembles the operation of a camera shutter. The famous botanist Lloyd managed to film the process of triggering the trap on film.

Predators of the second group first glue their visitor, and only then deal with him. This group of carnivorous plants includes a relative of the flycatcher - sundew. It grows in swamps and peat bogs on almost all continents, not only in the temperate zone, but also in the tropics. The sundew is very similar to its appearance on a flycatcher, only there are no spines on the leaves. But there are cilia - bright, red. At the ends of the cilia are droplets of a viscous sticky liquid. Droplets sparkling in the sun attract insects, and as soon as a fly or someone else hits the leaf, sticky mucus begins to be released. The legs of the insect are immediately glued, and the cilia with droplets at this time bend down and glue the victim completely. Everything happens not very quickly, but reliably - the more the insect flounders, the faster it sticks.

Unusual "dew" byblis giant up to half a meter high with long narrow leaves grows in Australia. The leaves of the biblis are so narrow that they rather resemble twigs. They have sticky hairs for gluing the victim and glands that secrete digestive juice. On one bush there are up to 300 thousand hairs and two million glands.

Byblis bushes grow densely and are woven together into a sticky hedge, on which a wide variety of insects stick. But besides insects, the biblis "with pleasure" catches larger prey: snails and even frogs. The giant sundew also grows in South Africa. She is called royal, and, according to eyewitnesses, she can even eat small animals that accidentally fall into her sticky embrace.

The third group of predatory plants simply waits until the prey itself climbs to where it can no longer get out. The most famous plants of this group are american sarracenia. As soon as they are not called in Canada - “soldier's mug”, “devil's boot”, “ancestral cup”, “leaf-pipe” ... But one more name suits sarracenia most of all - “jug plant”. The jugs of this plant are located in the same rosette as the leaves of the flycatcher or sundew. On a long stem - one red flower, similar to an umbrella, and under it, near the ground, lies up to forty jugs. Each jar has a lid to prevent rain or dew drops from getting in and diluting the liquid necessary for digestion at the bottom of the jug.

Sarracenia (lat. Sarracenia)

To attract victims, nectar is accumulated near the neck of the jug, and the vessel itself is painted in bright colors. The neck is lined with smooth hairs that help the victim to easily slide into the depths of the jug, but do not allow to get back.

Once in the jug, the insect falls to the bottom, where there is an acidic liquid with a digestive enzyme dissolved in it. Even without having time to flounder, the prisoner quickly goes to the bottom, where the process of digestion begins.

In the tropical forests of East Africa and the island of Kalimantan, another plant with a pitcher leaf grows. it nepenthes. Its red-brown-green jugs hang high above the ground, and the liana itself climbs several meters up the trunks and branches of trees, attaching itself in the same way as everyone else. climbing plants with the help of whiskers. The tendrils of the pitcher leaf are very interesting; not the end of the leaf, but the middle of the petiole is converted into a tendril. The end of the petiole is turned into a jug, and the lid is formed by the leaf itself - the leaf blade. Such jugs are sometimes very large - almost the size of a two-liter canister.

Jugs at non-penthes better arranged than the Sarracenia. The neck of the vessels is covered with a layer of wax, so that the victim slides down more easily.

And large spikes grow around the neck. They protect the caught game from thieving birds. If birds with long beaks easily reach drowning insects in sarracenia jars, then Nepenthes rarely share their prey with strangers.

Insectivorous plants kill their prey with chemicals, and the process of digestion lasts from 12 to 48 hours.

Insectivorous plants are associated with poor soils, which contain almost no organic matter. Back in 1888, the naturalist Byustgen established that a plant that feeds on animal food develops twice as fast as a vegetarian plant. After his research, there were even proposals to breed such plants, and primarily pemphigus, to combat the malarial mosquito.

Here is how the well-known specialist in this field, Strehl, describes the ability of insectivorous plants to digest food: “As for the process of digestion, here carnivorous plants can compete with the stomachs of animals.

They are able to digest not only the living muscle tissue of insects, but also chopped into small pieces of raw and fried beef or veal. Neither sharp cheese, nor viscous cartilage, nor nitrogen-rich plant seeds, nor pollen, nor small fragments of bones, nor even tooth enamel can resist their digestive juices. Only farinaceous, sweet and sour substances are not digested.