Venus Flytrap
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| Dionaea muscipula Sol. ex Ellis (1768) |
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The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant (a plant that feeds on small animals, such as insects). Carnivorous plants grow in soil that has little nitrogen. They receive nitrogen from the insects they trap.
The Venus Flytrap is one of a very small group of plants capable of rapid movement. When an insect or spider crawls along the leaves and touches a hair, the trap closes only if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds of the first touch. The two-touch trigger avoids wasting energy on objects with no food value.[2]
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[change] Appearance
The Venus flytrap is a small plant, with small leaves. Its clam-shaped leaves are a flower mimic: when open they show red, and smell sweet. They have bristles on each edge. Inside the leaves, there are very sensitive, tiny hairs which cause the leaves to snap shut when it is touched. Two hairs must be touched, to make the response and close the leaves. This makes it more likely that the thing that touched its hair is living.
[change] Nutrition
The Venus Flytrap feeds on insects, such as ants, beetles, woodlice, worms, flies, grasshoppers, and moths. First it traps the insect inside its leaves, and then lets out a liquid that helps digest the trapped animal. The plant takes the nitrogen from the insect's body, and consumes the insect.
The Venus flytrap makes its own sugar by photosynthesis. The flies give it nutrients which it cannot get from the waterlogged soil. With the nutrients it can build up enzymes and other molecules which need trace elements as well as sugars and amino acids.
[change] House plants
Venus fly-traps were first discovered in North America on the coast of North and South Carolina, where it grows wild near the Cape Fear River. But people anywhere can grow Venus Flytraps in pots. There is a pretty sizable market for venus fly traps between collecters. The name is sometimes spelled Venus flytrap, Venus' flytrap, or Venus's-flytrap. It is named after the roman god of love, Venus.
[change] References
- ↑ Schnell, D., Catling, P., Folkerts, G., Frost, C., Gardner, R., et al. (2000). Dionaea muscipula. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1acd, B1+2c v2.3)
- ↑ Slack A (1988). Carnivorous plants. London: Alphabooks. pp. 18–19. ISBN ISBN 0-7136-3079-5.
- Information about the Venus flytrap from the Botanical Society of America website
- website with information about the Carnivorous Plants of the world
