Pitchers Nepenthes shown in the photo above are carnivorous plants that catches prey and digests them in modified leaves. Their natural habitats are bogs and fens. Enthusiasts have to accept odours of such environment.The video clip below shows a poisonous pitcher plant capturing insects.
The traps work by:
- Pitfall Traps - folded leaves holding digestive enzyme.
- Flypaper - leaves covered in sticky stalks
- Snap Traps - hinges shut when triggered.
- Suction Traps - hinged, shaped like a bladder.
- Lobster Pot - twisted tubes with hair and glands.
Examples
Pitfall Traps
Nepenthes maxima from Huntington Botanical Gardens.
Flypaper
Sundews (Drosera rotundifolia) by Sandy Richard
Gnats stuck on butterworts
Suction Traps
Bladderwort or Utricularia nelumbifolia by Don Coyote.
Snap Traps
The first pitcher plant that I learned about was the Venus fly trap. (Photo by Simon Whitaker).
Source:
- Botanical Society of America: Carnivorous or Insectivorous Plants
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