Insectivorous flower. Carnivorous carnivorous plants
We are used to the fact that only predators can be, and plants feed on sunlight, oxygen and what their roots can get. It turns out that this is not true at all. a predator that has ingenious insect traps is found in any climate - both temperate and tropical. Such plants are sometimes also called insectivorous or carnivorous.
The well-known flycatcher
How the first appeared remains a mystery. Scientists suggest that such an evolutionary adaptation that allows you to eat insects appeared due to a lack of nitrogen in the soil, which is so necessary for any plant.
Rosyanka lives even here in the Tundra
Each predator plant has its own type of insect trap, and are divided into three types: cracker plants, sticky plants and pitcher plants. The first type of plants has clapping leaves with teeth along the edges, the second type emits a sticky liquid with an attractive smell; the third type of carnivore plant has a trap in the form of a jug containing liquid.
Zhiryanka. Lures insects with sticky secretions on the leaves.
Why did carnivorous plants appear?
Botanists have established that all insectivorous plants live on soils poor in minerals (peat, sand, swamps and swamps). There are a lot of insects in these places, but there is little nitrogen in the soil. Therefore, predatory plants at the expense of insects receive the necessary nitrogen, which allows them to grow normally.
Nepestes or "hunting cup"
Predatory plants are characterized by a very bright color, which in all insects is associated with flowers and the presence of nectar. However, there is no nectar in such flowers, but there are a variety of devices that make it possible to catch insects and then digest (decompose) them with special glands, then absorbing the nitrogen-containing nutrients.
The predator plant has turned its leaves into a kind of traps for insects. In order for the prey to be securely grasped, the leaves have sticky hairs that react to touch and gradually clench inward, like a fist. The second common option is a jug with a lid and a narrow passage. An attractive smell makes the insect crawl inside, but it can no longer get back.
Some observations show that even a pineapple behaves like a predator plant, since water attractive to insects and their larvae accumulates at its base, and it is quite capable of digesting them, assimilating the nutrients received.
Nature has created this world very diverse and amazing. This is especially true for plants. She was able to create a plant world that cannot be seen in a city flower bed or at home on a windowsill - these are carnivorous plants. These flowers are carnivorous and feed on living flesh. Such plants are located in places where the soil contains almost no nutrients.
These plants catch their prey, then secrete a special juice that begins to digest the prey. After that, the plant receives all the substances necessary for life.
This plant belongs to insectivorous plants and grows in North America and Texas.
The trapping leaves of this flower are shaped like a water lily, which is a trap. The leaves form a funnel that rises above the plant like a hood, and does not allow rainwater to get inside the water lily, so as not to dilute the digestive juice.
Insects fly to the smell and color that highlights the edge of the flower. They take it for nectar, but the slippery surface and the intoxicant help the insects get inside. Then they die in the digestive juice.
This plant belongs to other carnivorous plants. Nepenthes uses water lily-shaped leaves instead of a trap. Scientists have 135 varieties of this plant, and most of them grow in China and Indonesia.
Most of these plants are long fifteen meter vines, with a very small root system. The tendrils, located along the entire length of the stem, form a small vessel that grows rapidly, increases and turns into a predatory bowl.
Inside the bowl is a sticky liquid that attracts insects. At the bottom of the trap is a gland that distributes all the nutrients throughout the plant.
This type of plant feeds on insects, but there are some subspecies that have larger bowls and can feed on small rodents and even rats.
This plant is rare, as it grows in Northern California, and only in places with flowing ice water.
The leaves of this plant are bulbous in shape with a hole located under two long and sharp leaves that look like fangs.
This plant does not use its leaves to catch insects, it uses a trap like crab claws. Insects fly to the specks of light that form the fangs of the leaves, and as soon as it gets inside, it begins to make its way along the hairs that grow deep into the plant, and can no longer get out.
This plant uses its sticky leaves. It grows in Asia and America.
Its leaves are very juicy, green or pink in color. Each leaf contains two types of cells. One species forms a sticky mucus that attracts insects and does not release them afterwards. And the second type is sessile glands, they form special enzymes that help digest insects.
All the substances that were obtained from insects feed the poor soil on which Zhiryanka grows.
This plant is the most popular and well-known of all carnivorous plants. Its diet usually includes flies and small spiders. This plant has 5-7 leaves, and they are located on a thin and small stem.
The leaves of this plant are divided into two halves, of which the trap consists. The outside of these traps contains a special pigment that releases a sticky liquid. When the insect hits the liquid, the leaf hairs pick up the signal and the leaf lobes collapse.
The share closing speed is only 0.1 second. Along the edge of the leaves are dense cilia that do not allow the victim to get out. After that, the lobules tightly close, thereby forming the stomach, in which the digestive process takes place.
These amazing abilities were awarded by the nature of the plant so that they can survive even in the worst conditions.
10 most dangerous carnivorous plants video
Read more about another amazing plant -.
These amazing plants They are carnivorous because they catch insects and arthropods, secrete digestive juice, dissolve the prey, and in the process receive some or most of the nutrients. Almost all carnivorous plants grow in places where the soil is poor in nutrients.
Here are the most famous carnivorous plants that use different types traps to lure their prey.
1. Sarracenia
Sarracenia or North American insectivorous plant is a genus of carnivorous plants that are found in areas of the east coast of North America, in Texas, in the Great Lakes, in southeastern Canada, but most are found only in the southeastern states.
This plant uses water lily-shaped traps as a trap. The leaves of the plant have developed into a funnel with a hood-like formation that grows over the opening, preventing rainwater from entering, which can dilute the digestive juices. Insects are attracted to color, smell, and secretions like nectar at the edge of a water lily. The slippery surface and the drug that surrounds the nectar encourage insects to fall inward, where they die and are digested by protease and other enzymes.
2. Nepenthes
Nepenthes, a tropical insectivorous plant, is another species of carnivorous plant with a trap that uses water lily-shaped trapping leaves. There are about 130 species of these plants, which are widely distributed in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Madagascar, Seychelles, Australia, India, Borneo and Sumatra. This plant has also earned the nickname "monkey cup" as researchers often observed monkeys drinking rainwater from them.
Most types of Nepenthes are tall vines, about 10-15 meters, with a shallow root system. Leaves are often visible from the stem, with a tendril that protrudes from the tip of the leaf and is often used for climbing. At the end of the tendril, the water lily forms a small vessel, which then expands to form a cup.
The trap contains a liquid secreted by the plant, which may have a watery or sticky texture, and in which the insects eaten by the plant drown. Bottom part The bowl contains glands that absorb and distribute nutrients. Most of the plants are small and they only catch insects, but large species, such as Nepenthes Rafflesiana and Nepenthes Rajah, can take small mammals such as rats.
3. Carnivorous plant Genlisea (Genlisea)
Genlisea consists of 21 species, usually grows in humid terrestrial and semi-aquatic environments and is distributed in Africa and Central and South America.
Genlisea is a small herb with yellow flowers that use a crab claw-type trap. Such traps are easy to get into, but impossible to get out of because of the small hairs that grow towards the entrance or, as in this case, forward in a spiral.
These plants have two various types leaves: photosynthetic leaves above ground and special underground leaves that lure, trap and digest small organisms such as protozoa. The underground leaves also perform the role of roots, such as water absorption and attachment, since the plant itself does not have them. These underground leaves underground form hollow tubes that look like a spiral. Small microbes get into these tubes with the help of a stream of water, but cannot get out of them. By the time they get to the exit, they will already be overcooked.
4. Darlingtonia California (Darlingtonia Californica)
darlingtonia california is the only member of the genus Darlingtonia that grows in northern California and Oregon. It grows in swamps and cold springs. running water and is considered a rare plant.
Darlingtonia leaves are bulbous in shape and form a cavity with a hole under the swollen like Balloon, structure and two sharp sheets that hang down like fangs.
Unlike many carnivorous plants, it does not use trapping leaves to trap, but uses a crab claw-type trap. Once the insect is inside, they are confused by the specks of light that pass through the plant. They land in thousands of dense, fine hairs that grow inwards. Insects can follow the hairs deep into the digestive organs, but cannot go back.
5. Pemphigus (Utricularia)
Bladderwort is a genus of carnivorous plants with 220 species. They meet in fresh water or wet soil as terrestrial or aquatic species on all continents except Antarctica.
They are the only carnivorous plants that use the bubble trap. Most species have very small traps in which they can catch very small prey such as protozoa. Traps range from 0.2 mm to 1.2 cm, and larger prey, such as water fleas or tadpoles, fall into large traps.
The bubbles are under negative pressure with respect to the surrounding stop. The opening of the trap opens, sucks in the insect and surrounding water, closes the valve, and all this happens in thousandths of a second.
6. Zhiryanka (Pinguicula)
Oilwort belongs to a group of carnivorous plants that use sticky, glandular leaves to lure and digest insects. Nutrients obtained from insects supplement the soil, which is poor in minerals. There are approximately 80 species of these plants in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
The leaves of the buttercup are succulent and usually have a bright green or pink color. There are two special kind cells located on the upper side of the leaves. One is known as the peduncle and is made up of secretory cells at the top of a single stem cell. These cells produce a slimy secretion that forms visible droplets on the surface of the leaves and acts like Velcro. Other cells are called sessile glands, and they are found on the surface of the leaf, producing enzymes such as amylase, protease, and esterase, which aid in the digestive process. While many species of butterwort are carnivorous all year round, many types form a dense winter rosette that is not carnivorous. When summer comes, it blooms and has new carnivorous leaves.
7. Sundew (Drosera)
The sundew is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. Sundew can form basal or vertical rosettes from 1 cm to 1 m in height and can live up to 50 years.
Sundews are characterized by moving glandular tentacles topped with sweet, sticky secretions. When an insect lands on the sticky tentacles, the plant begins to move the rest of the tentacles in the direction of the victim in order to further drive it into a trap. Once the insect is trapped, small sessile glands absorb it and the nutrients go to plant growth.
8. Byblis
Byblis or rainbow plant it is a small species of carnivorous plant native to Australia. The rainbow plant gets its name from the attractive slime that coats the leaves in the sun. Despite the fact that these plants are similar to sundews, they are not related to the latter in any way and are distinguished by zygomorphic flowers with five curved stamens.
Its leaves have a round section, and most often they are elongated and conical at the end. 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 that land on the leaves or tentacles of the plant.
9. Aldrovanda vesiculosa (Aldrovanda vesiculosa)
Aldrovanda vesicularis is a magnificent rootless, carnivorous aquatic plant. It usually feeds on small aquatic vertebrates using a trap trap.
The plant consists mainly of free-floating stems that reach 6-11 cm in length. Leaves-traps, 2-3 mm in size, grow in 5-9 curls in the center of the stem. The traps are attached to the petioles, which contain air that allows the plant to float. It is a fast growing plant and can reach 4-9mm per day and in some cases produce a new curl every day. While the plant grows at one end, the other end gradually dies.
The plant trap consists of two lobes that close like a trap. The holes of the trap are directed outward and covered with fine hairs that allow the trap to close around any prey that comes close enough. The trap closes in tens of milliseconds, which is one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom.
10. Venus flytrap (Dionaea Muscipula)
Venus flytrap, perhaps the best-known carnivorous plant that feeds mainly on insects and arachnids. It is a small plant with 4-7 leaves that grow from a short underground stem.
The leaf blade is divided into two regions: flat, long, heart-shaped petioles capable of photosynthesis and a pair of terminal lobes hanging from the main vein of the leaf, which form a trap. The inner surface of these lobes contains a red pigment, and the edges secrete mucus.
Dionaea muscipula vs Caterpillar
The leaf lobes make a snapping motion, slamming shut when its sensory hairs are stimulated. The plant is so developed that it can distinguish a living stimulus from a non-living stimulus. Its leaves slam shut in 0.1 second. They are lined with cilia that are as hard as spikes and hold their prey. As soon as 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.
Among the representatives flora there are specimens that prefer not only carbon dioxide and water, but also insects and small animals. These are predatory plants, forced to eat like this because of the poverty of the soil where they grow. Being carnivorous, they secrete a secret similar to digestive juice, prey on arthropods and insects, dissolve them for a certain time and thus obtain the substances necessary for life. Such heterotrophic nutrition is the only way to survive in the specific climatic conditions that give them their name.
The most popular representatives of this plant world are grown as houseplants, using to control small insects at home.
The described plants are characterized by several types of traps for catching prey, while they do not belong to plant families:
- the use of leaves resembling the shape of a jug;
- leaves forming the shape of a trap;
- sticky leaves and sweet secret;
- drag traps;
- crab claw traps.
The most popular predator is the sarracenia, or, as it is called correctly, the North American insectivore. Such plants grow on the east and south coasts of North America in southeastern Canada. The leaves are shaped like a water lily and serve as a trap for insects. This is a kind of funnel, the edges of which open in the form of a hood. It protects the opening of the plant, where enzymes and juices responsible for the digestion of food are produced, from moisture. At the edges of the flower, a special secret is produced, which, with its color and aroma, “beckons” representatives of the fauna. Sitting on the edge, insects slide into the flower, intoxicated with narcotic substances, plants, where they dissolve with the help of enzymes.
Birds sometimes use sarracenia as a feeder, taking out undigested mosquitoes and flies from it. It is also grown on home windowsills. The bright raspberry color of sarracenia will add variety to the abundance of flowers, decorate any interior and help get rid of annoying insects.
These carnivorous plants also have water lily shaped leaves which act as a trap. They grow in the tropics on the territory of Eurasia, Africa, Australia and islands located in this climatic zone. The second name of this plant is "monkey cup". It was obtained during the observation of primates who drank rainwater from these flowers.
About 200 are known, most of them are high lianas, reaching a length of about 10-15 meters. Growing them at home is not very convenient, but if you choose a greenhouse with a warm climate as their place of residence, they will take root well. On the stem are leaves with a small tendril protruding from the tip, at the end of which a vessel is formed. It becomes wider at the ends, forming a small bowl. This bowl collects the liquid synthesized by the Nepenthes, which can be sticky or watery, depending on the variety of flower. Insects drown in it, and, dissolving, form the food of nepenthes. In addition to small arthropods, some representatives of this flower also use small mammals as food.
Rosyanka and Zhiryanka
Another large representative of carnivorous plants, with about 194 species. lives on all continents, except permafrost, and feels good in all climatic conditions. These carnivorous plants live for a very long time - about 50 years. Plants feed on moving glandular tentacles ending in a sticky and sweet secret. Sitting on a sweet leaf, the insect sticks, and the tentacles slowly but surely make it move towards the trap. Here, special glands absorb the insect and digest it. Sundews are used as houseplants to control small insects.
In the same way, the butterfly works, using sticky leaves to lure and eat insects. About 80 representatives of this species of carnivores are known; they grow in soils poor in minerals and salts on the American continents, in Europe and Asia. The bright green or pink leaves of the flower have special cells that produce sticky mucus. Spreading over the surface in the form of drops, it turns it into Velcro, in which the paws of insects get stuck. Other cells produce enzymes that break down food. Zhiryanka also feels great among houseplants, blooming in the summer season.
The most popular indoor carnivorous plants in our country are flycatchers. In addition to flies, midges and mosquitoes, the nutrition of this plant is enriched with spiders and ants. This small flower feeling good at home flower pots and our climatic conditions. It has a short stem that hides underground, and four to seven leaves crowned with a head. The head consists of two plates, outwardly resembling a heart. The plates are slightly concave and long, with cilia along the edges. They form a trap. The inner surface of the heads produces a bright scarlet pigment, which synthesizes mucus and is a bait.
When an insect lands on a leaf, it touches the sensory hairs covering the tentacles, and they snap shut abruptly. This happens in a tenth of a second, so a careless fly has no chance of escaping. Cilia, quite hard and sharp, securely hold the victim. The leaves of the flower begin to grow, connecting at the edges and forming a stomach in which enzymes break down the prey.
Enough developed plant capable of distinguishing living flesh from non-living. If, instead of an insect, the sensors are irritated with a foreign object, it will reflexively close its head, but after a few seconds it will open again.
Genlisea and Darlingtonia Californian
Genlisea lives in wet conditions subtropical climate and not suitable for home use. This is a low grass with bright - yellow flowers and a claw trap. The exit from it is closed by small hairs growing towards the edges or in a spiral. The leaves located above the ground level are involved in the process of photosynthesis, and the underground ones serve to feed the simplest microorganisms with bacteria. In addition, underground leaves absorb moisture and perform fixing functions, because. Genlisea has no roots. The leaves form hollow spiral tubes into which microbes enter. As houseplants, it is not customary to grow a genlisee.
In the same swampy conditions, near natural springs with clean water, Darlingtonia also grows. This is a fairly rare plant that has chosen northern California as its habitat. Its leaves are bulb-shaped: a swollen ball-shaped cavity and two sharp leaves resembling drooping fangs. But although the leaves are trapping, the flower itself is used as a trap in the form of a claw. Rays of light break through the plant, which deceive the insects, forcing them to move inward. Movement occurs along thin villi that grow towards the core and prevent return.
Pemphigus and Byblis
Pemphigus is a very common carnivorous plant that grows in conditions high humidity in all parts of the world except Antarctica. Only this representative of carnivores has a trap - a bubble. These bubbles have different sizes, from 0.2 mm to 1.2 cm in diameter. Small bubbles are designed to catch the simplest organisms, and large ones are for larger prey. Sometimes water fleas or even tadpoles get into them. Hunting happens very quickly: when the prey is close to the bubble, it opens and sharply draws the prey and water into itself. If you get pemphigus like home plant, it is better to land it near an artificial reservoir.
Byblis is better known as the rainbow plant. Australia is considered the birthplace of this carnivorous representative of the flora, and the mucus that covers the leaves and shimmers in the sun gave it its name. Outwardly, the biblis is similar to the sundew. The flower has leaves with a round section, they are elongated, cone-shaped towards the end. They are completely covered with a slimy secret that attracts prey to the leaves and tentacles. These are wonderful indoor plants that feel comfortable at home.
Video Predatory plants
Basically, all carnivorous plants grow in areas where the soil contains very little nutrients. By digesting their prey, they obtain nutrients that this soil cannot provide. Below is a list of ten amazing carnivorous plants.
Sarracenia is a genus of carnivorous plants, which gradually moved into the category of indoor plants. Currently, science knows about 10 types of sarracenia. The natural habitat of this plant is the marshy places of North and South America. Careless insects fall into a trap, which is a twisted leaf growing from the root system.
Nepenthes or pitcher
Nepenthes or pitcher - most of these plants grow in the tropical forests of Asia, mainly on the island of Kalimantan, they are also found in the Seychelles, Madagascar, eastern New Guinea, Northern Australia and New Caledonia. Most water lilies are small and can usually only "lure" insects into their trap, but there are larger species in nature that can easily devour small mammals such as rats.
Genlisey
Genlisea is another type of carnivorous plant that “hunts” with a trap. Science knows 21 species of Genlisei growing throughout Africa, Central and South America. These plants have two different types of leaves - photosynthetic ones that are above ground, and specialized underground leaves that serve to trap and digest the smallest organisms. The underground leaves also function as roots, which can burrow into the soil up to a depth of 25 cm.
Darlingtonia californica is the only member of its genus to grow in swamps in northern California and Oregon. At the top of a fairly long stem, there is a light green trap jar (60 cm in diameter), emitting a pungent odor that attracts insects. They fall into the trap and can no longer get out there. Insects are digested in the digestive juices of the plant, which thus receives additional nutrients.
Pemphigus
Representatives of the pemphigus genus consist of about 220 species, they are found in fresh water and moist soil on all continents, absent only in Antarctica and a number of oceanic islands. In 2011, scientists from France and Germany recognized pemphigus as the fastest carnivorous plant in the world. The prey is pulled into the predator's trap in less than a millisecond.
The genus of fatwort has approximately 35 species, they can be found in North and South America, Europe and Asia (about 7 species are found in Russia). One of the upper sides of the leaf secretes sugary mucus, which is a trap for small insects, and the rest of the leaves of this carnivorous plant produce an enzyme that helps digest the caught insects. Unlike other genera of the pemphigus family, butterflies have real roots.
To date, about 150 species of sundews are known. These plants are found on almost all types of soil and on all continents except Antarctica. The leaves of this perennial produce a sticky substance containing the alkaloid coniine, which has a paralytic effect on insects. After the victim is trapped, the leaf rolls up. Having absorbed everything useful material, sundew leaf opens again. These plants can live up to 50 years.
Third place in the list of amazing carnivorous plants is Byblis - a small genus of carnivorous plants, which are low shrubs up to 50 cm tall. They are found in marshy moist soils of Northern Australia and New Guinea, as well as on small areas in Western Australia. The surface of the leaves of the plant is completely covered with glandular hairs, which secrete a sticky mucous substance, which is a trap for small insects. The Byblis plant looks very similar to the sundew genus (4th place), but they are not closely related.
Aldrovanda vesicularis is a perennial aquatic carnivorous plant that feeds on small aquatic vertebrates. This carnivorous plant can be found in Central and Southern Europe, East Asia, India, Africa, Australia. Aldrovanda vesicularis a floating stem (6–11 cm long) without roots, with leaves covered with hairs, when irritated, the leaf halves snap into place (in just 10 milliseconds) and pinch the prey.
The Venus flytrap is the most famous carnivorous plant and one of the most sadistic, cold-blooded killers in the animal kingdom. It feeds mainly on insects and arachnids. Grows in damp temperate climate on the Atlantic coast of the USA. It is a small plant that has 4-7 leaves growing from a short underground stem. Can be grown as indoor plant. A member of a small group of plants capable of rapid movement.
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