Most plants get their food from the soil in which they grow. But what should plants do if they grow in areas with insufficient amounts of the substances necessary for their existence?
Evolution solved this problem and the most amazing creatures appeared before us.
Hunter plants that have become a unique link in the food chain. These plants have turned their stems and leaves into deadly traps in which you can find various prey, from planktonic crustaceans to frogs, mice and other small animals, they have learned to dissolve and assimilate their victims, and most importantly, they have developed unique ways of luring game.
The hunting grounds of “green predators” are usually in places with a lack of nitrogen and mineral salts in the soil, and animal food is an excellent source of both. Meat-eating plants can eat like their regular non-carnivorous counterparts, but this negatively affects their condition, making them lethargic and shortening their life span.
All carnivorous plants have a variety of adaptations and hunting styles. These are brightly colored leaves that curl, fold or slam shut when you touch them, these are various bowls and jugs with alluring sweet nectars at the bottom, these are sticky cilia growing on the surface of the leaves, emitting a smell that attracts the target audience (insects).
Well, after a successful hunt, the game is digested by some “stomach juice”, which is produced by special glands of the plant, or the caught creature simply dies, rots, and the plant absorbs the products of decomposition. Yes, these are such specific gourmets.
During some observations by scientists of such a crop as pineapple, a theory was put forward that pineapple is partly a carnivorous plant. The fact is that rainwater collects at the base of the leaves of this representative of the Bromeliad family, and various aquatic organisms of the smallest size live in it. By absorbing their remains, the pineapple is fed.
At the moment, more than 600 species of carnivorous plants are known, which are divided into three groups:
- “insectivores”, whose prey is mainly insects;
- “water” - fishing for micro-crustaceans;
- the “I eat whoever I catch” group - plants that have traps large enough to catch small animals. These are sticky leaves, cell leaves and pitcher leaves.
Predatory plants live mainly in America, both North and South, Africa, Australia, tropical, subtropical and temperate climate zones of Asia. Certain species of these plants have found a place in the everyday life of gardeners.
The representative of insectivorous plants in Europe and the CIS countries is. Most often it can be found in the middle climatic zone of Russia, growing in swampy areas, in places deprived of useful minerals - “acid soils”.
In the summer, the blooming sundew can be recognized by its small white flowers growing on a long stem-peduncle. The sundew itself is a rather inconspicuous marsh insectivorous grass with leaves lying on the ground, dotted with hairs. The liquid secreted by the hairs is very similar to dew, but in reality it is a deadly glue for insects, as well as an enzyme for digesting prey.
The victim, attracted by the smell of “dew,” sits on a leaf and sticks to it. The hairs press the unfortunate creature to the surface of the leaf, and the enzyme begins the process of dissolving the food, and the leaf itself, meanwhile, curls up, depriving the captive of all chances of salvation. The remains that the sundew has not digested fall to the ground, the leaves take on their usual appearance, the hairs become covered with beads of “dew” and a new hunt begins.
Trap leaves covered with red tentacle hairs (from 20 to 30 pieces per leaf) perform their role no more than five times. They then dry out and fall off, replaced by freshly grown ones.
Some especially large sundew species can catch even careless frogs or small birds. Science knows about 130 varieties of this plant. And in the times of Ancient Rus', the Slavic peoples used sundew to prepare decoctions for colds.
In conditions similar to the habitat of the sundew, you can meet another “green predator” - the butterwort. In appearance, the butterwort is a rosette of large leaves tapering at the end, covered with a shiny sticky fat-like mass. During the flowering period, a stem with a purple flower grows from the center of the rosette.
The principle of hunting and feeding is very similar to the sundew. Insects, lured by the smell of “fat,” stick to the leaf, the leaf turns inward, and digestive secretions break down the tissues of the prey. The resulting minerals and amino acids are absorbed by the plant, the leaf unfolds and awaits the next portion of “guests”.
Bladderwort is a predatory plant whose habitat is standing water. Bladderwort is deprived of the food roots habitual for plants, which is why it preys on insects and small crustaceans. The catching “bubbles” are located under water along with the leaves, and only its flowers float on the surface.
The “bubbles” have a certain “entrance” that opens as soon as an insect is nearby. The signal about the opening of the “bubble” comes from the hair-probes located near the “entrance”. When an insect catches a hair, the “bubble” opens and it is drawn in along with the water. And at the next stage of the hunt, food digestion begins.
Darlingtonia also loves swampy areas, and in appearance it resembles a cobra ready to strike. The plant Cobra Darlingtonia got its name from the shape of its pitchers, which resemble the hood of a cobra.
It lures insects with its nectar smell, and the hairs located on the walls of the jug and directed downwards do not allow the victim to get out.
The cell plant, or Venus flytrap, is the only carnivorous plant whose insect catching is visible even to the naked eye. The leaves of this plant look like the mouth of an unknown monster. Each mouth is studded with fang-like spines, which act as bars in the cage and when the leaf slams shut, the prey cannot escape.
This “green monster” grows in the Carolinas, in swampy areas and in coastal areas of the United States. During the period when there is a lot of prey, the traps inside are painted bright crimson and can reach “huge” sizes - 4 cm, and in the cold season they become smaller and dim.
The trap slams shut in a split second and is impossible to open. If the leaf slams shut, or catches something inedible, it will open itself within half an hour. If an insect is caught, the trap remains closed for several weeks until the food is completely absorbed.
The habitat of this “natural utensil” is tropical forests. There are more than 80 varieties of pitcher plant. It mainly grows as a vine, but there are also shrub species.
It got its name “pitcher” for the special shape of its leaves, reminiscent of a pitcher, which helps it collect rainwater. The “jugs” are large enough to catch frogs, rodents and small birds. But their main prey remains insects.
On the inside of the walls of the “jug” there are glands that produce nectar and wax. The nectar lures prey, but the smooth wax prevents it from escaping and the insect, falling into the water at the bottom, drowns.
In the Sarracenia family, all species (there are nine of them) live in swamps.
Sarracenia has bright flowers and bright green leaves dotted with crimson capillary lines. The leaves resemble envelopes exuding sweet juice. Falling into such a trap, the insect is doomed. But the scenario with digestion and assimilation is still the same.
European gardeners are actively introducing sarracenia into their collections and developing new species that harmoniously fit into home landscapes.
Byblis is a shrub native to Australia. The branches of Byblis are dotted with narrow long leaves, on the surface of which there are bristles and glands that secrete a strong adhesive substance and a digestive enzyme. Both insects and small animals and birds fall into such a trap.
Australian aborigines in ancient times believed that biblis was even capable of catching and digesting a person. And sometimes human bones were found near the bushes. But this did not stop them from using Byblis leaves as glue.
Nowadays predator plants can be found in many flower shops. So, if you want to decorate your home and protect it from annoying insects, plants can help you with this.
: Plants get nutrients from sunlight, animals eat plants, and carnivorous animals eat other animals. However, even in this case, there are exceptions to the rule: there are predator plants that attract animals into a trap and then eat them (mostly insects, but snails, lizards, or even small mammals can also become victims). In this article, you'll learn about 10 carnivorous plants, ranging from the famous Venus flytrap to the lesser-known Darlingtonia.
Nepenthes
The main difference between tropical pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes and other carnivorous plants is their size: the “pitcher” of this plant can reach a length of more than 30 cm, it is ideal for capturing and digesting not only insects, but also small lizards, amphibians and even mammals. (The doomed animals are attracted to the plant's sweet scent, and once they enter the jar, the Nepenthes begins to digest them, a process that can take up to two months!) There are about 150 species of Nepenthes scattered around the eastern hemisphere; The pitchers of some plants are used by monkeys as drinking cups (after all, these animals are too large to end up in the wrong place in the food chain).
Darlingtonia
Darlingtonia is a rare carnivorous plant native to the cold waters of the marshes of Oregon and northern California. This is truly a diabolical plant: it not only lures insects into its jar thanks to its sweet aroma, but it has numerous false “exits” in it, which is why its doomed victims make unsuccessful attempts to escape to freedom.
Surprisingly, naturalists have yet to identify Darlingtonia's natural pollinators; It is known that a certain type of insect collects pollen from this flower and remains unharmed, but it is not yet known which one.
Stylidium
It is still unclear whether plants of the genus Stylidium are truly carnivorous, or simply trying to protect themselves from pesky insects. Some species are equipped with sticky hairs that capture small insects that have nothing to do with the pollination process, and their leaves secrete digestive enzymes that can slowly dissolve hapless victims. Further research is needed to determine the importance of the insects consumed for the life of Stylidium.
Rosolist
The roseleaf grows in nutrient-poor soils along the coasts of Spain, Portugal and Morocco, so it supplements its diet with rare insects. Like many of the other carnivorous plants on this list, dewweed attracts insects thanks to its sweet aroma; its leaves contain a sticky slimy substance that prevents the victim from moving, and then with the help of digestive enzymes, the unfortunate insects are slowly dissolved and the plant receives the necessary nutrients.
Roridula
Native to South Africa, the roridula is a carnivorous plant, although it cannot actually digest insects captured by its sticky hairs. The plant leaves this task to horsefly bugs Pameridea roridulae, with which it has a symbiotic relationship. What does Roridula get in return? The waste from bedbugs is an excellent fertilizer.
By the way, in the Baltic region of Europe, fossils of roridula, 40 million years old, were discovered, which is evidence of a wider distribution of this species during the Cenozoic era, relative to its current range.
Zhiryanka
The plant got its name because of its wide leaves with an oily coating. This carnivorous plant is native to Eurasia and North, South, and Central America. Butterwort victims are immersed in sticky mucus and slowly dissolved by digestive enzymes. If the insects try to move, the leaves begin to slowly curl, while the sticky mucus dissolves the proteins of the prey.
Genlisey
Unlike other carnivorous plants on this list, Genlisea's diet likely consists of protozoa and other microscopic organisms, which it attracts and eats using specialized leaves that grow underground. These underground leaves are long, light-colored, and root-like in appearance, but the plant also has regular green leaves that are above ground and participate in the process. Genlisea is distributed in regions of Africa, Central and South America.
Venus flytrap
Is another carnivorous plant: maybe not the largest, but certainly the most famous in the family Droseraceae. It is quite small (no more than 15 cm in length) and its sticky “trap” is the size of a matchbox.
Interesting! The Venus flytrap, in order to reduce false slamming caused by falling leaves and pieces of debris, has developed a unique mechanism for triggering the trap: it slams only when two different internal hairs touch each other for 20 seconds.
Aldrovanda vesiculata
Aldrovanda vesica is an aquatic version of the flycatcher, has no roots, floats on the surface of lakes and lures animals into its small traps. The trap of this predator plant can slam shut in 1/100 of a second. Aldrovanda and the Venus flytrap have a common ancestor - a carnivorous plant that lived during the Cenozoic era.
Cephalot
Cephalot attracts insects with its sweet aroma, and then lures them into a jar, where the unfortunate prey is slowly digested. To further confuse prey, the lids of these jars look like translucent cages that give hope to the prey to escape from them.
Unusually, cephalotes are related to flowering plants (such as apple trees and oaks), which is not common to other carnivorous plants.
Predatory plants- these are one of the most unusual representatives of the flora of our planet, one might say, a miracle of the natural world.
It is common to hear about animals that feed on other living beings, but the fact that creatures incapable of movement and any active interaction with their environment can also devour someone will seem incredible to many.
They are different from other plants and live in conditions unbearable for most green creatures, which is why they have to be predators.
Why do they do this?
The reason why predator plants appeared is simple. They must obtain the bulk of nutrients with the help of roots from the soil in which they are located, but due to the fact that in many parts of the world there is such soil in which there are practically no substances necessary for the normal functioning of most plants, they had to adapt and receive them by eating other creatures. This is the only way they receive the components necessary for life.
These plants can eat not only insects, but also arthropods. They have a digestive system - just like animals. Scientists now know more than 600 species of carnivorous plants. Each of them has its own diet and its own methods of catching prey. Besides, they have various methods of luring victims and unique traps.
In addition to their unusual abilities, most of these plants have a very beautiful and bright color, and many have a strong smell. Among this diversity, one can distinguish the most famous representatives of the predatory plant world.
Types of carnivorous plants
- This is a rather rare plant that grows naturally in the south of North America, for which it is also called Californian. Her habitat- reservoirs with running and cool water. And she lives under water.
This underwater predator feeds on various insects, small crustaceans and other river life.
Their fishing method is quite unique.- it does not use its leaves directly; the victim is trapped through a crab claw, this is an asymmetrical process, a kind of mini-labyrinth. Once inside, the insect has no chance.
Darlingtonia affects it with bright colors from the inside of the trap, which leads to complete disorientation in space and further death.
- In this case, the name speaks for itself. It can be called one of the most common and famous representatives of carnivorous plants.
The food for the flycatcher is insects and arachnids. It is able to distinguish a living organism from a nonliving one.
Catching prey occurs as follows: The flytrap has two leaves, which, when the victim hits them, instantly collapse and close, but if the insect reacts quickly, then it is possible to get out.
The edges of the trap-like trap gradually begin to grow together. Digestion of prey occurs inside this peculiar stomach. Moreover, despite its danger, the flower has a very pleasant smell, thanks to which it attracts greedy insects. The picturesque appearance of toothy leaves-traps makes it quite a popular room decoration.
- . This plant lives in Asia, its home is tropical forests. Nepenthes is classified as a bushy vine. They catch the prey using pitcher-shaped appendages on the leaves, which contain viscous juice, where the prey drowns, and subsequently gives its nutritional components to the plant.
The edges of the jugs, smeared with wax and trimmed with bristles or spines, do not allow escape from the tank, and the bright coloring of its inside attracts the attention of potential prey.
There are many varieties of Nepenthes, the smallest of which prey purely on insects, but large representatives of the genus can also absorb small mammals, for example, mice; their jugs are the size of a bottle and hold up to a liter of digestive fluid.
Traps differ not only in size, but also in the shape of the jugs, in some Nepenthes they lie on the ground, in others they hang from the leaves like strange fruits.
- It grows in the Far East of Russia and therefore tolerates cold well. The Sundew is small in size and hunts insects mainly during the period of flower pollination, although it does not disdain small insects that simply accidentally fall on the leaves.
Its leaves are collected in a dense rosette and have movable tentacles with sweet nectar.
When the victim sits down to enjoy the juice, she falls into the trap, tightly sticking to the droplets at the ends of these tentacles.
The nutrients contained in the body of the engulfed insect are necessary for the flower to form an ovary and allow the seeds to ripen.
It is worth noting that Sundew is used for medicinal purposes and often grows on windowsills as an exotic pet.
- This North American endemic grows in swamps, like most other predators, but, unlike them, It also has decorative flowers with a pleasant scent.
Its lower leaves resemble translucent scales, and the trap leaves are elongated into long tubes, up to eighty centimeters in height, dotted with protruding veins.
On top of this pipe is covered by a leaf outgrowth that prevents water from flowing inside during rain - the jugs of Nepenthes are covered with a similar “umbrella”.
The bright color of the traps and the aroma of the secretions of nectar-bearing glands lure insects to certain death, but the larvae of blowflies and ossfexes are accustomed to living inside the leaves of Sarracenia, robbing the plant of some of its prey.
It is important to note that Sarracenia is easy to care for and can grow in open ground where winters are mild enough for it.
ATTENTION: Feeding a Venus flytrap is a spectacular process, but you cannot overfeed the flower, since after digesting the prey, the leaf dies, and due to the loss of leaves, it may weaken or even die.
ATTENTION: Like any plant in a temperate climate, Sundew needs a period of dormancy in winter. At this time, the pot with the plant should be sent to a cool and fairly dry place. Otherwise, it will become exhausted and die.
PLEASE NOTE for domestic carnivorous plants: Darlingtonia Californian, Nepenthes, Sundew and many others.
Not being directly related to each other, many carnivorous plants, completely independently of each other, have developed the same methods of survival in unfavorable conditions, on lands poor in nitrogen compounds, having learned to extract nutrients from other people’s bodies. These extraordinary creatures will decorate any flower collection.
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Everyone knows what a food chain looks like since school. Sunlight provides nutrients to plants, which then feed on animals, and predators feed on the animals. But there is always an exception to the rule - carnivorous plants are also found in nature. These plants attract insects into their trap, and they can also catch small mammals. But despite this, many plants are attractive with their appearance.
Amazing plants
Sundew has been popular since ancient times. Many traditional healers used it to treat the respiratory system and relieve headaches.
Types of carnivorous flowers
Insectivores number about 630 species in 19 families and can catch and eat small animals, but they mostly feed on a variety of bugs. Thanks to this, they perform photosynthesis. And as a result, they are less dependent on soil inorganic nitrogen.
They are classified as perennial herbaceous plants. Scientists believe that real carnivorous flowers evolved in five different color groups.
Most often, the predatory flower has a bright color and a strong fragrance, which are used to attract beetles. Some have such a pleasant incense that it attracts more than just various bugs. For example, the Venus flytrap has a rather attractive smell. In India, this flower is considered a symbol of harmony. But, for example, the Darlingtonia flower emits a rather unpleasant smell of rot. This smell occurs due to its digestive activity.
Over time, their leaves changed shape and became a quick-release trap. Sundew leaves are covered with drops of a sticky substance.
Many flowers have the ability to distinguish edible from non-edible. They also do not respond to false signals such as raindrops. But when a victim falls into the trap, the leaf curls into a cocoon and squeezes it tightly. After which the flower begins to secrete substances whose composition resembles the digestive juice of animals. They help dissolve the victim, and at this moment the nutrients are distributed throughout the vessels of the flower. After some time, when the digestion process ends, the trap opens and can begin to catch beetles again.
Features of caring for Dieffenbachia at home
The leaf of butterwort does not curl. Nitrogen in the victim's body starts the digestive process.
In Darlingtonia and Nepenthes, the leaves turn into water lilies with digestive juice. And the victim, having fallen into the trap, slides to the bottom, where he dies.
The Venus flytrap is the most active. Its leaves look like water lilies, strewn with sensitive hairs. And as soon as they are touched, the doors slam shut. She begins to eat the victim, and after eating they open again. They can digest food from 5 hours to several months.
Here are the most unusual and interesting species:
Carnivorous plants can rightfully be considered a miracle of nature. These amazing plants are true predators, they catch insects and arthropods, secrete digestive juices, dissolve the prey and in the process receive most of the nutrients. There are quite a lot of predatory plants (about 600 species are known to science); they have special adaptations of one type or another, which they use to attract and retain their victims. In addition, they are all united by the comparative poverty of the soils on which they live, as well as their bright colors, which attract insects as an association with the presence of nectar. Here are the most famous carnivorous plants that use different types of traps to lure their prey.
Sundew (Drosera) is a small insectivorous plant with leaves collected in a rosette. Sundews are characterized by moving glandular tentacles topped with sweet, sticky droplets of liquid. When an insect lands on the sticky tentacles, the plant begins to move the remaining tentacles in the direction of the victim in order to further trap it. Once the insect is trapped, small sessile glands absorb it and the nutrients are used for plant growth.
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea Muscipula) is perhaps the most famous carnivorous plant. It is a small plant that feeds mainly on insects and arachnids. The leaf lobes make a sudden movement, slamming shut when its sensory hairs are stimulated. The plant is so advanced that it can distinguish a living stimulus from a nonliving one. Its leaves slam shut in 0.1 seconds. They are lined with thorn-like cilia that hold prey. Once 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.
Darlingtonia Californica - considered a rare plant, grows in swamps and cold running water springs in northern California and Oregon.
Cobra Lily or Cobra Plant - Darlingtonia received such a popular name due to its outgrowths reminiscent of the red twisted tongues of a snake, and indeed, the leaves resemble a cobra with a loose hood preparing to attack. Plants attract prey to the entrance to the trapping apparatus with the help of nectar released along the “tongues” of the pitcher. The light passing through the window, a thinning in the wall of the hood of the jug, knocks down the prey, and it falls inside, where it drowns. Bacteria and other microorganisms digest the prey and release nutrients as liquid.
Nepenthes, or pitcher plant (Nepenthes) is a predatory herbaceous, bushy vine, widespread in tropical Asia, especially on the island of Kalimantan, as well as in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Madagascar, and the Seychelles. The plant also received the nickname “monkey cup” because researchers often observed monkeys drinking rainwater from them. It is a carnivorous trap plant that uses water lily shaped trap leaves. The trap contains a liquid secreted by the plant, which may have a watery or sticky texture, in which the insects that the plant eats drown. The bottom of the cup contains glands that absorb and distribute nutrients. Most plants are small and only catch insects, but large species such as Nepenthes Rafflesiana and Nepenthes Rajah can catch small mammals such as rats, lizards, and birds.
Lusitanian dewweed (Drosophyllum lusitanicum) - or “Portuguese flycatcher”, is a subshrub close to sundews native to the Mediterranean, emits a sweet aroma that attracts insects that get stuck in the sticky surface and die. The digestive capacity of dew leaf is quite high: during the day, one medium-sized plant successfully copes with prey consisting of several dozen large flies and other insects.
Butterwort (Pinguicula) is a carnivorous plant that uses sticky, glandular leaves to lure and digest insects. Butterwort leaves are succulent and usually bright green or pink in color. There are two special types of cells found on the upper side of leaves. Some cells produce a mucous secretion that forms visible droplets on the surface of the leaves and acts like Velcro. Other cells produce enzymes that aid the digestive process.
Heliamphora is an insectivorous plant that attracts attention with its elegant arrangement of leaves, rolled into rolls and resembling jugs. Leaf urns are designed in such a way as to avoid complete flooding of the cavity with water - in the upper part of the urn at a certain level there is a small gap to drain excess moisture. This mechanism is not accidental: the plant is faced with the task of drowning prey lured to a watering hole in the water. And heliamphora lures insects in this way: instead of a lid on the top of the jug, the tip of the leaf is transformed into a spoon, from which heliamphora seems to offer to taste the nectar. The inner surface of the leaf is covered with small bristles directed downwards. It’s as if they specially pave the path, inviting the insect to carefully descend into the bowl, holding on to the “handrails.” But there is no turning back and the insects turn into unfortunate drowned people.
Bladderwort (Utricularia) is a carnivorous plant that lives in fresh water or moist soil. A unique organ, the trapping vesicle, helps these plants capture and utilize prey. Bubble traps in most species are very small, so they can catch very small prey such as protozoans, while slightly larger traps catch larger prey such as water fleas or tadpoles. Each bubble is equipped with a hole closed by a valve that opens inward, as a result of which small aquatic animals can freely penetrate into the bubble, but cannot come back out. When they die, they serve as food for the plant.
Sarracenia is an insectivorous plant that is found in areas of the east coast of North America and southeastern South America. This plant uses water lily-shaped trapping leaves as a trap. The plant's leaves have become a funnel with a hood-like structure that grows over the hole, preventing rainwater from entering, which could dilute the digestive juices. Insects are attracted to the color, smell and nectar-like secretions at the edge of the water lily. The slippery surface and narcotic substance lining the nectar cause insects to fall inside, where they die and are digested by protease and other enzymes.
Byblis, or rainbow plant, is a small species of carnivorous plant native to Australia. The rainbow plant gets its name from the attractive slime that coats its leaves in the sun. 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 landing on the leaves or tentacles of the plant.
