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