Coffee Break Articles

Fascinating gardens are a true art form and if you are wanting one that will catch the attention of others, you may consider adding a few of the best carnivorous plants available. From the common Venus Flytrap to the Cobra plant, these exotics serve several purposes. In areas that have high populations of bugs, they can lowers the amount of flies or other insects that bother you. The size of the plant you select will determine the amount of insects consumed, however, the entertainment they provide for both adults and children alike, is well worth the investment.

Basically there are five different types of carnivorous plants for you to consider. The most common type, is the Venus Flytrap found in cultivated varieties of the Dionaea muscipula family. Snap traps rely on a mouth that close in around its pray, where the plant will eat whatever it catches.

When a fly or insect walks on the surface, this activates a hair trigger and causes closure, as the traps closes it fills with an enzyme solution, and then it will dissolve the proteins from the insect. Digestion takes five to 12 days, after which the trap reopens, then the insect’s exoskeleton blows away in the wind or is washed away by rain.

These plants range from colorful to bland, and do not have moving parts like their snap trap counterparts.

Flypaper traps are among some of the coolest carnivorous plants. These plants secrete a glue which traps and breaks down insects for nourishment. The type of secretion created by this particular plant can cause skin irritation to humans and therefore should be treated with caution.

The only carnivorous plant with a true “trapdoor” is the remarkable bladderwort. These plants function through the osmosis of water to create a suction within the body of the plant. Once an insect or aquatic species has been trapped within, escape is difficult. Unlike many carnivorous plant species, these are more commonly found underwater than above ground.

Another favorite carnivorous plant are the lobster-pot traps, and they come with a chamber that is easy to enter, and whose exit is either difficult to find or obstructed by inward-pointing bristles.

Corkscrew plants are interesting, in that, the inside of the plant mouth is filled with downward pointing obstructions, used to prevent it’s prey from escaping it’s grasp.

For those interested in borderline species, there are several varieties of plants that do not meet all of the requirements of carnivorous plants, but have sharing characteristics. These plants include the Brocchinia Roridula and members of the Martyniaceae species. They are not considered to be in the same classification as true carnivorous plants because they do not, attract, kill and digest prey.

Carnivorous plants should be placed where young children and babies cannot reach them. While most of them are relatively harmless to humans, digestion of these plants should be avoided, due to the digestive enzymes that the plant utilizes to break down prey.

Tags: best carnivorous plants, bladderworts, carnivorous plant species, carnivorous plants, venus flytrap, venus flytrap plant